Ambiente 2024: Synergies for the international office & stationery industry

International office supplies and stationery buyers benefitted from short distances, the vicinity to Creativeworld and an expanded range of products in all segments. The range of office & stationery brands was expanded across a new hall layout. "The aim was to strengthen the synergy effects of the trade fair trio through an enlarged stationery and office supplies cosmos. For the upcoming event, we will optimise the connection and routing to the stationery and office supplies cosmos even further. This way we continue to promote especially new customer contacts," says Yvonne Engelmann, Director of Ambiente Living, Giving and Working. Volker Jungeblut, Managing Director of the German Stationery and Office Supplies Brand Industry Association (PBS-Markenindustrie), clearly sees the advantages of face-to-face events and a mix of exhibitor and visitor groups from the office and stationery world with related sectors: "Developments have shown that trade fairs have not only made a comeback as a presentation and communication platform: For many manufacturers and retailers, they are essential. Thanks to their product diversity, the exhibiting member companies of the office and stationery brand industry can be found not only at Ambiente Working, but also in the Ambiente Giving and Creativeworld segments. The synergies between diversified areas, such as the Office Heroes and the Future of Work areas, make sure retailers enjoy an exciting and inspiring trade fair visit." The various buyer groups from the wholesale and retail sectors as well as corporate buyers, major commercial customers, facility managers, interior designers, architects, office fitters, project planners and representatives of international hotel chains and restaurants took home new ideas and trends from the leading Frankfurt trade fair trio.

Ambiente Working – Office

The office segment for suppliers of commercial office supplies and technology presented itself in the Festhalle and in the exclusive exhibition area labelled "Office Heroes" in Forum 0. This large-scale brand-focused premium display was the result of a cooperation between Ambiente and the Association of the German Stationery and Office Supplies Brand Industry. Accordingly, many association members perceived it as an attractive new home at the trade fair. Frank Indenkämpen, Managing Director of Novus Dahle, summarises: "Ambiente Working is a complete restart here in the Forum this year. We can see that the customers we wanted to meet are here. We can network excellently and bring our brand to life. The location is fantastic: the atmosphere, the centrally organized catering, the daylight in the hall - we really like that." Other industry giants such as Casio, Durable/Luctra, Edding International, Jakob Maul, Sigel and Tesa presented themselves at the Office Heroes area. The strong representation of the stationery and office supplies brands in Forum 0 shows that this area has potential for growth.

Ambiente Working – Office Design & Solutions

Right in the attractive interior design environment of Ambiente Living in Hall 3.1, interior designers, architects, office fitters, project planners and international buyers from the HoReCa sector found smart furnishing concepts for offices, co-working spaces and home offices. This fostered new business contacts and created space for ideas about how to stylishly merge the spheres of living and working. The close distance to international interior design professionals in the same hall is particularly interesting for exhibitors of office furnishings. Matthias Kurreck, Managing Director of Vario Büroeinrichtungen, appreciates the synergy effects in Hall 3.1 and is satisfied: "We meet new customer groups at Ambiente and benefit from the Future of Work area with its lectures and guided tours, especially from the Association of German Interior Designers (bdia). They give us the chance to exchange ideas with interior designers as an important customer group. The high internationality of the trade fair and the design-focused environment pay off for us. For example, we welcome store owners at our stand, who enquire about matters of interior design, then become aware of us and get interested in our shelving system - not for an office, but for their shops."

The Future of Work area was very well attended throughout all five days of the trade fair. The themes of the new working world were staged in futuristic, open-plan wooden constructions: Concentrate, Collaborate, Educate and Socialise. In the Educate area, the Future of Work Academy was the central meeting point to soak up knowledge in a daily changing programme of lectures and guided tours.

Ambiente Giving – Urban Gifts, Stationery & School

Gifts and personal accessories in all their facets were at the centrepiece of the Ambiente Giving area, complemented by high-quality writing utensils, stationery and greeting cards as well as school supplies. In Hall 4.2, exhibiting companies from the office and stationery sector met buyers from concept stores, design studios, upmarket gift boutiques, museum shops and traditional gift retailers ranging from discounters to department stores. Angela Kramer, Managing Director of Caran D'Ache, reports on her experiences at the stand directly in the entrance area of Hall 4.2: "In this lifestyle-orientated environment, it was a truly enriching experience to exhibit at Ambiente. We are going to tap on the "gifting" niche. Against this backdrop, we feel that this is exactly the right place for us. Many people discover us by chance and are impressed by the quality of Swiss-made products. We are expanding our circle of potential customers here, because we are not just ‘Office’ or ‘Colours’."

Synergetic vicinity to Creativeworld – with creative materials, hobby and craft supplies

As the leading international trade fair for hobby, craft and artists' supplies, Creativeworld unites creativity and business under one roof. This is where office and stationery brands meet trade visitors from the DIY sector, top purchasing decision-makers from wholesale, retail, specialist and online trade, as well as multipliers from journalism and social media. Alexandra Batsch, CEO Online Schreibgeräte: "This is the second time we exhibit at Creativeworld with our portfolio for the creative sector, which we also offer to our stationery retailers. We met a lot of interested visitors, and the mix was great for us. There were many influencers and social media professionals who are very important for us in the creative sector."

More space for Global Sourcing and Remanexpo

The global sourcing business for office supplies, technology and equipment as well as stationery and writing utensils with focus on the high-volume trade occupied the entire hall level 10.0. The Remanexpo range for remanufactured printer supplies and components could be found in the Congress Centre, in close distance to the remanufakturer brands at Forum 1. The exhibition space was complemented by the Remanexpo Academy for expert lectures. In all, trade visitors could take advantage of a new and comprehensive specialised platform that was unrivalled in terms of internationality and size. Printer hardware, spare parts, consumables, IT and services completed the established Remanexpo portfolio. Vincent van Dijk, Secretary General of the European Toner and Inkjet Remanufactures Association (Etira), appreciates the Remanexpo trade fair format at Ambiente: "This is the second time we have taken part, and we really like the pavilion structure for our members - it's a win-win situation for everyone, strengthens our visibility as a community and brings many trade buyers together. Ambiente is definitely the right platform for face-to-face meetings for us."

Trade fair dates 2025

Ambiente, Christmasworld and Creativeworld will continue to take place at the same time at the Frankfurt exhibition centre. They will, however, be moved to the beginning of February to ensure that major global trade fair dates are aligned. In addition, the daily sequence of Creativeworld will be optimised as agreed upon with the industry. All three leading trade fairs will start simultaneously on Friday. Creativeworld will continue to run for four days.v

• Ambiente/Christmasworld: 07 to 11 February 2025
• Creativeworld: 07 to 10 February 2025