Craft Focus - Apr/May (Issue 66)

Street art, wellbeing and the Danish concept of hygge were big trends at this year’s Creativeworld, as attendance grew by seven per cent With 336 exhibitors and 9,266 visitors from more than 100 countries, Creativeworld remains one of the biggest international buying events for craft retailers. This year’s show proved bigger and better than ever, with organisers noting a seven per cent rise in attendance. “Companies from 39 countries presented their products and services, and 67 per cent of visitors came from abroad,” says Julia Uherek, Group Show Director for consumer goods. Although most trade visitors came from the retail sector, a significant number of import and export companies also placed orders at the event. Post-show figures revealed that 78 per cent were executives with a high degree of decision making, while 65 per cent were particularly interested in products from the hobby, art and craft segment. TALKING POINTS Products with a botanical theme were big news at this year’s show. Plants, leaves, cacti and beetles were all trending, with dark blue, green and gold accents proving popular. The concepts of wellbeing and hygge continued to be at the forefront of designers’ minds, while street art and hand lettering were also major themes at the event. As always, Creativeworld offered the trade a variety of ways to hold its own at the fiercely competitive point of sale. “The biggest contingent of visitors comes from the retail sector, so we focused our complementary programme of events on subjects that are important for the bricks-and-mortar trade,” says Show Director, Michael Reichhold. “For example, we have been following developments in the street art segment for many years. Given that more and more manufacturers are including products of this kind, we decided to devote a special show to this fascinating subject.” The result was a special street art exhibition, which provided inspiration for retailers and tips on including creating the future SAVE THE DATE Creativeworld 2019 26 th -29 th January show review craft focus 79