Christmasworld brings fresh flowers and seasonal decorations together

The designers from Holland’s 2Dezign studio are renowned for presentations that impress, inspire and tempt customers. For the last eight years, Rudi Tuinman and Pascal Koeleman have been designing an imposing special show at Christmasworld. The aim is to encourage the trade to try something new – either in terms of window dressing and shop layout or large-scale and outdoor decorations. “The more there is to see and the greater the surprise, the higher the sales – and this applies to both smaller and bigger sales areas”, says Pascal Koeleman, CEO of 2Dezign. Following special shows entitled Merry Marriage, Happy, Window Wonderland, Newstalgia, The Ice Hotel, Design by Modern Nature and Surprise Surprise, the designers are now planning a scenario that is extremely high in contrast at the same time as being reduced. ‘The Loft’ is a modern, urban Christmas scenario with a touch of international glamour. Elegant black and cool white form the setting for the most ceremonial of all colours: red.

At the special show – in the Via between Halls 9 and 11 from 26 to 30 January 2018 – visitors can expect a completely new combination of fresh flowers and plants with the best of seasonal and festive decorations. “With the new location, we offer the trade fresh impulses for eye-catching sales areas with lots of glass and a pre-determined route”, says Koeleman.

All materials and products used are labelled with the name and stand number of the exhibitor concerned – including the fresh flowers, which can be ordered at Floradecora. “This special show is not only the perfect link to our market place for fresh flowers and ornamental plants. The idea for Floradecora was derived from this special show”, adds Eva Olbrich, Director of Christmasworld and Floradecora, Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH.

Questions and answers by Rudi Tuinman, CEO, 2Dezign:

Where do you get your ideas?
We give our creativity free rein and consciously try to leave the beaten track. ‘Thinking out of the box’ is our approach. Every year we try to design a show that is completely new and different from the year before. Thus, from copper / green in ‘Design by Modern Nature’ in 2016, we moved to pastel colours with ‘Surprise Surprise’ in 2017. We orientate ourselves towards the latest trends, but ours is not a trend show. Generally speaking, we observe the exhibitors at Christmasworld and the collections they are preparing and showing. We always choose a colour palette first, and then decide on the theme we would like to illustrate. This year we decided to create a more purist, more contemporary look, still a little over the top, but with greater simplicity and cleaner lines. Our focus for 2018 is to design a big loft, like something you might find in Manhattan, with lots of white, black and silver – and a large splash of red, the ultimate Christmas colour.

Why have you opted for traditional Christmas red in ‘The LOFT’?
Primarily because it is the ultimate Christmas colour and generates warmth. And a lot of people – the buyers – purchase red. We want to show it in a modern version instead of a traditional one.

How can retailers implement your ideas?
You can do a lot with a small budget, too. Particularly important is that ‘We sell emotions not products!’ And, especially at Christmas, it’s all about emotion. Buyers, retailers and consumers need to feel the Christmas experience. For a shop / retail outlet, I would advise people to purchase a lot of the same article. So, for example, if your theme is Nature, then buy 50 birch trees 4 metres high and decorate them with Christmas lights. Make your store / department darker. Create a great twinkling effect with Christmas lights. Use one kind of decoration and show it everywhere. Have music playing, not traditional Christmas songs, but something that goes with your theme (for example, for a forest scenario, use birds & lounge music). It makes sense to use fragrances, sounds and tactile impressions. Use a lot of natural materials to make the scale bigger, for example, include lots of Christmas trees. Try to make your display an unforgettable experience for your customers. Then, they will buy a piece of this experience to take home – and they will come back.

Why are you building on a combination of fresh flowers and seasonal decoration?
We completely believe in this combination. Fresh flowers and seasonal decorations simply belong together; they enrich each other and generate emotions. After all, a flowerpot needs a plant and a glass vase needs flowers. All the materials at Christmasworld are ‘hardware’. They are brought to life by the fresh plants and flowers at Floradecora. So, we are creating added value by using fresh plants and flowers together with traditional decorations. When you display items in combinations, retailers at all levels will sell more and overall sales will rise. Of course, this only works if you have chosen the right concept, the right look and feel; this is always the starting point.

What turns shopping into an experience for you?
Once again, the key is emotion: as consumers, we see so many products that we do not actually need. Emotional sales and presentation concepts are needed to prompt us to buy some of these things. We want to make people smile and make them hungry to buy when they see a great product display. I love a good presentation that involves all the senses: music to hear, fragrances to smell, tactile sensations for the hands, beauty for the eyes and something for the palate. Plus a unique and balanced palette of colours and products. All are key elements for success.

For more information:
christmasworld.messefrankfurt.com
floradecora.messefrankfurt.com