Craft Focus - December 2020/January 2021 (Issue 82)

30 The show must go on Michael Reichhold – director of Creativeworld and Paperworld explains the new measures Messe Frankfurt are taking to deliver a successful and fruitful trade show for buyers and exhibitors alike in April, 2021. Paperworld will be held under the title: International Consumer Goods Show – Special Edition; and Creativeworld will be held in digital format. Lockdown has given many people stuck at home the chance to try new hobbies and the craft market has boomed. Surely, Paperworld joining forces with both Christmasworld and Ambiente at the Consumer Goods Show can only be positive as Paperworld exhibitors can show off their products to even more buyers from new sectors. What are your thoughts? We are taking a different path for once. We attach great importance to the fact that it’s a ‘Special Edition’ for the year 2021. In 2022, we want to return to the usual cycles and the usual range and depth of offers per fair. Of course, in this exceptional situation, we want to use all the synergies that are currently bringing benefits for our exhibitors and visitors. Under the given circumstances, merging the fairs is a sensible solution and offers several advantages for exhibitors and visitors on site. The synergy effects, which already existed in previous years with the three parallel trade fairs Paperworld, Creativeworld and Christmasworld, will now be further extended by the Ambiente product groups. Creativeworld will be virtual this year. What have we got to look forward to? The digital Creativeworld will be built on the pillars of matchmaking, streaming and knowledge transfer as well as next trade. On the one hand by an AI-supported matchmaking programme, in which manufacturers and retailers can network and order digitally, and on the other hand by the supporting programme, which is offered as a virtual event. We’re also thinking here, for example, of streaming for exhibitors’ presentations, expert lectures, and product presentations to be presented via video, so that trade buyers can put together individual lectures or sessions to suit their specific needs. For the popular training courses and workshops of the Creativeworld Academy, exhibitors will receive digital slots for their product presentations. Within the digital Creativeworld Academy, the new Creativeworld Trends 2021/22 will also be presented with live workshops and lectures. In addition, we offer digital transaction opportunities – after Nextrade has been successfully initiated for Ambiente exhibitors, the B2B market place will soon be available for Creativeworld, Christmasworld and Paperworld exhibitors as well. Nextrade is the first order and data platform to bring together supply and demand digitally – thus creating great added value for both sides. Of course, these digital components cannot replace real encounters, but it’s a valuable opportunity to stay in touch and experience new products internationally. How do you feel the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the creative industries? The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the creative industries in very different ways. On the one hand, many people have tried out new hobbies in the lockdown and beyond and discovered for themselves what has given the industry a boost. On the other hand, the international market is particularly important