- Trade Fair closes with a visitor plus of 17 %
- Newcomer wins the “gardiente Outdoor Living Award”
- Exhibitors praise high quality of the trade contacts and excellent organisation
Frankfurt, July 12, 2017. Yesterday, the fourth gardiente ended with a visitor plus. From 9 – 11 July, more than 90 brands presented their current assortments in the fully booked halls. In the end, there were over 720 trade visitors who informed themselves about the latest trends in the Outdoor Living sector and made the first decisions for the outdoor season 2018 at the right time. Thus the gardiente is still on course for success in the fourth year.
Highlight on Sunday was the first ceremony of the “gardiente Outdoor-Living-Award”. All exhibitors were able to apply for the prize with their novelties from garden furniture, sunshades, BBQ, textiles and accessories. “We are enthusiastic about the great response. Almost half of all exhibitors took advantage of the opportunity to submit their innovative products,” says Verena Westphal, project manager of gardiente, who is happy about the interest of the exhibitors.
To a general surprise, the Gold Award went not to a furniture manufacturer, but to the Danish newcomer PLINTHIT, who presented with his umbrella stand a real innovation: “We are very happy about the win. The special feature of our product is that we have thought of the classic umbrella stand completely new and innovative. We do not use pipes, screws, granite or stone. Maybe difficult to imagine, but quite simple. The frame is held by two sand bags, which, in contrast to stone, is able to absorb wind and thus give the umbrella a high stability,” explained owner Christian Toft Jakobsen the winning product. He is still convinced of his decision to exhibit at the gardiente: “Two years ago we were only a visitor to the show and so far only had a prototype. Even then we had the impression that the gardiente is a very high-quality and serious fair – actually the fair, on which we have to exhibit as a newcomer. It is friendly and the customers are interested in innovations and product development – that’s very nice. We will be back next year definitely.”
The Outdoor-Living-Award in Silver was given to the modular “Havana” lounge system by SIEGER, which can be used not only as a dining lounge but also as an opulent seating landscape thanks to its finely balanced seat ergonomics. Bronze went to Italian outdoor manufacturer Nardi for the two-in-one “Net Bench” with matching “Net Tabel”. In addition to the official prize winners, the jury also gave an “honorable mention” for the “Stan” wing chair from Stern, which according to the manufacturer is an example for products which are intended to enable the retailer to make additional sales.
All 13 nominated products of the gardiente Award were exhibited during the fair in the TrendArea. Helmut Merkel, chief editor of the magazine MÖBELMARKT, presented the innovations of the outdoor season 2018 to an interested audience of journalists and retailers. As a constant trend, Merkel sees the merging of indoor and outdoor: “Garden furniture is becoming more and more functions that are usually used in the interior. Furniture for the outdoor sector becomes more comfortable and bribes by individuality and intelligence. In addition, sustainability is a major issue that has already attracted many companies.” As a further trend, Merkel called for the increased use of outdoor accessories – an example to be seen at Epstein Design’s decorative lightings – all handmade in Germany.
In addition to a well-founded product portfolio, the gardiente again offered attractive network formats and an exciting supporting program. More than 400 guests, gloomy moods and great conversations all say that the “gardiente night” has now become an indispensable networking event for the “Who is Who” of the outdoor living sector.
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