Craft Focus - Page number 26 - August/September 2021 (Issue 86)

26 Messe Frankfurt reorganises consumer goods sector To be even more active in shaping the currently accelerating process of change in the consumer goods sectors, to tap new potential and to further intensify consulting services for customers from Germany and abroad, Messe Frankfurt has decided to appoint Julia Uherek and Philipp Ferger as Vice Presidents of Consumer Goods Fairs at Messe Frankfurt Exhibition with effect from 1 st June, 2021. Both will thus be responsible for all leading trade fair brands such as Ambiente, Christmasworld, Creativeworld or Paperworld as well as future trade fair formats and platforms. In a second step, the sales teams as well as the marketing and communication responsibilities have been reorganised with effect from 1 st July, 2021. Going forward, Ferger will be responsible for the strategic sales orientation of all trade fair brands and future trade fair formats. As before, Ambiente will be organised and managed by Yvonne Engelmann for the Living and Giving segments and Thomas Kastl for Dining. Eva Olbrich will continue to be responsible for Christmasworld and will also be in charge of Creativeworld. Bettina Bär will take over the management of Paperworld. Susanne Schlimgen remains responsible for the regional fair formats. Michael Reichhold will take over the management of the newly created Shared Expertise Department, in which overarching processes and implementation activities for trade fair marketing and organisation to exhibitors will be centralised. Ferger says: “At this point, we’d like to express our special thanks to Michael Reichhold, who will now intensively promote the topic of digital transformation and, with his many years of trade fair experience and at the same time high level of process and system knowledge, will make our internal structures fit for the future. With this powerful and streamlined set-up, we will be able to respond even more intensively and quickly to market requirements as well as individual customer wishes and place and further develop our leading trade fair brands on the market in a more targeted manner than before for the benefit of our exhibitors and visitors.” In her position as Vice President of Consumer Goods Fairs, Uherek is responsible for the entire marketing communications of all trade fair brands as well as future formats and platforms. An important part of this is the strategic content development for both existing physical trade fair formats and new digital developments. As before, Yvonne Clemens is responsible for the development, adaptation and implementation of marketing campaigns, but from now on for all existing trade fair formats and platforms in the consumer goods sector. In parallel, Erdmann Kilian will be responsible for media relations for all consumer goods trade fair formats and platforms. Margit Herberth will take over the management of the newly created Multimedia & Data department, which ensures the playout of all communication formats in the corresponding channels. The department is also responsible for the implementation of audio and video formats as well as the presence of the trade fair brands and platforms in social media. The newly created Content Department, which is responsible for the development and creation of all content in the form of fringe programmes, lecture areas etc. and their translation into digital formats, will be headed by Dorothe Klein, who previously coordinated the Ambiente fringe programme. Uherek adds: “With this reorganisation, we’re taking a real quantum leap into a new age of content creation and integrated communication to further enhance the benefits and experience of our trade fairs and platforms for our customers. In particular, topics such as the simultaneous use of content at trade fairs and on the web, moving images and audio, but also the sensitive and targeted handling of customer data have become massively more important in recent years. With our new organisation and the resulting advantages, we are perfectly positioned for these challenges - online as well as on-site at our leading trade fairs.” Creativeworld will run from 29 th January until 1 st February, 2022. BCTF Online 2021 Award winners The winners of the BCTF Online 2021 awards were announced on 1 st July, the final day of another successful show for Britain’s leading trade fair for handmade crafts. Hundreds of dedicated retail buyers turned out to support British handmade, resulting in a buoyant event which yielded trade orders for makers on every day of the show and tens of thousands of verifiable actions taken on exhibitor profile pages, including direct link backs to their own websites. After decades of being presented at the live show in Harrogate, the BCTF Awards are an industry fixture by now and many people were keen to find out this year’s winners, which are as follows: The Giftware Association Awards for Excellence Winner: Nadege Honey Designs Highly Commended: Japanese Papercraft The National Association of Jewellers Award for Excellence in Jewellery Winner: Rouaida Jewellery The Forever Creative Photography Award Winner: Jim Stringer (Quirky Metals). The People’s Choice (exhibitor who was added to the most visitor ‘favourites’ list during the live event) is Betsy & Els, with Jim Stringer as runner up. Event organiser, Matt Miller of Kerrison Exhibitions, said: “The breadth and quality of designer makers that participated in the British Craft Trade Fair Online 2021 was very impressive, so each Award winner can be extremely proud of this recognition of their work. I’d like to thank the Giftware Association, The National Association of Jewellers and Forever Creative Photography for their support of the BCTF Online Awards this year.” Further awards, including those sponsored by different British galleries, will be presented at the next live edition of BCTF, which will take place at the Yorkshire Event Centre in Harrogate from 10 th -12 th April, 2022. For more information and to register for BCTF 2022 visit the website: https://bctf.co.uk/