Since 1995, MAISON&OBJET has been the world’s foremost event for professionals of the lifestyle, interior and design industries. Every edition brings together some 3,000 exhibitors and more than 80,000 unique visitors – of which 50% hail from outside France. Promoting new contacts and emerging talents, MAISON&OBJET presents twice a year the latest sources of inspiration by shedding insight into current and future trends. As a result, the event has become an effective catalyst for brand development and business growth.
For the September 2018 edition, MAISON&OBJET’s layout was entirely revamped. This change was implemented in order to simplify the structure of the fair’s offering, improve visitor experience and encourage chance discoveries. While some adjustments are still needed and will be made as early as the January 2019 event, – initial feedback confirms the positive impact of these changes.
A More Intuitive Categorization
The success of MAISON&OBJET has always relied on the breadth of its offering. More than 20 years after its inception, the fair has revealed a brand new structure. Featuring two aptly named Hubs — Maison and Objet —, the new layout allows for a more intuitive experience of the fair, which promises unexpected and exciting discoveries for visitors. Paired with an increase in average stand size, this change shone a new light on the fair’s offering and helped bring about new partnerships.
New Products at a Glance
In order to help visitors gain insight into emerging trends, MAISON&OBJET has scaled up the ‘What’s New?’ exhibitions. For the first time this season, the inspirational displays starring new products by exhibitors expanded to four locations. Complementing the Trends Forum titled Virtuous, their approach offers a chance to get a quick read of the season’s innovations. A wonderful opportunity for 500 of the 3,000 exhibiting brands to enjoy additional exposure for their most exciting products.
MAISON&OBJET introduced four ‘What’s New?’ exhibitions, featuring the season’s most memorable new products presented in themed displays. Be it for their innovative quality, their materials or the know-how they exemplified, these absolutely outstanding pieces contributed to illustrating, at a glance, the wealth of new concepts on show at the fair!
Curated and designed by Élizabeth Leriche, Founder of the studio of the same name, François Bernard, founder of trend forecasting agency Croisements and François Delclaux, founder of Un Nouvel Air, these new exhibitions provided an overview of the show’s most exciting new products at a glance.
Continuing the Experience On and Offline
MAISON&OBJET now provides two new ways for visitors to keep the experience going. Launched in September 2016, the digital platform MOM (MAISON&OBJET AND MORE) offers a comprehensive overview of the latest news from and products by exhibiting labels, manufacturers, artisans, craftspeople and designers. A never-ending source of inspiration, it also provides a tool for visitors to establish a direct conversation with thousands of brands all year round.
In addition to MOM, the platform that features exhibitors’ collections all year round, this season also saw the launch of the Trend Mook. This new and improved version of the Inspirations Book offers a wealth of information indispensable to grasping the emerging trends that are reshaping the market. In a deeply ‘Virtuous’ spirit, the first issue explores new eco-friendly and visually pleasing materials, a selection of the season’s absolutely not-to-be missed product launches, and the definition of a new profile of demanding consumers: the so-called “ambitious class”. Sold online at the price of €40, it provides invaluable insight into the zeitgeist.
Design and Decoration Take Over the City of Paris
In parallel to the trade show, the 8th edition of Paris Design Week was held from September 6th-15th 2018. Themed walks took design enthusiasts and all those interested in the latest trends to discover 200 different places, each featuring original exhibitions and the season’s latest creations.
Partnerships with La Biennale Paris (at the Grand Palais), and AD Intérieurs exhibition, which pays tribute every year to the work of the greatest decorators of the moment, make Paris a highlight in the international decoration, design and lifestyle calendar and the place to be in September.
