Backissues
Issue 1/2015
Cool Cities Istanbul
Interviews Seyhan Özdemir, Ebru Debbag, Cüneyt Yavuz, Manuel Bolaño, Jason Gallen
Editorial
The tradeshow circus now has a new attraction – the carousel has been joined by a rollercoaster.
Never before has there been so much speculation and discussion about Berlin’s tradeshow scene than in these past few weeks. In mid-December new reports were landing on our editorial desk every few minutes. The rumour mill was literally churning. Bread & Butter cancelled! Panorama expanding! Seek moving to a new location! Bread & Butter maybe also relocating? What is going on in this already hyped up industry? Perplexity, head shaking, uncertainty – so soon before the Christmas break, some exhibitors who were planning to come to Berlin in January were left wondering what was going on.
After the wild speculations surrounding the continuation of Bread & Butter, the rumour mill was literally churning.
And to think everything started out so well: our beautiful Berlin, which had come of age, maturing from the Cold War ugly duckling of the fashion world into an internationally acclaimed fashion swan over the last few years, was really making a name for itself as the location for top fashion tradeshows. What Paris, Milan and London were for high fashion, Berlin was for the democratic mid-section of the market – but, in contrast to Paris et al, the scene in Berlin was always characterised by major changes. Just after Karl-Heinz Müller made the decision to turn his back on his hometown Cologne and move Bread & Butter to Berlin in 2003, a fashion scene was developing in the city that was making people sit up and pay attention. New events and showrooms were established, top tradeshows like Premium, and later Panorama got off the ground. And there was also plenty of room for cool niche shows like Capsule, Seek and Bright to emerge. A fantastic portfolio, an over-abundant offer – and right on our doorsteps too!
What a luxury, wasn’t it? What did we do to deserve all this? Well, it could have something to do with the classic German virtues: reliability, organisational talent, a down-to-earth attitude and commitment. But after the wild speculations surrounding the continuation of the Bread & Butter, perhaps this image projected to the outside world wasn’t all it was cracked up to be.
The brand representatives are just as confused as everyone else. How could this have happened? Examination of the root cause only triggers heated debates. Are there too many events? Are the locations too far apart? Are unpopular decisions the problem?
There are lots of opinions but no single truth. We feel like shouting “Berlin is still here!” to the sceptics predicting an imminent downfall. But the sector that loves to reinvent itself more than any other will no doubt come up with something soon. After all, when one door shuts, another opens! And that is a saying that Karl-Heinz Müller, always a man of surprising moves, is no doubt also contemplating.
That’s how we see the current situation anyway. But no matter what happens, we’ll be heading to the capital this January with a large portion of anticipation and curiosity. And we hope to see you there!
Wishing you an exciting tradeshow season,
Ilona Marx, Editor in Chief
Photographers
Marc Huth, Muriel Liebmann, Peter Lorenz, Eduardo Miera, Christoph Voy, Bernd Wichmann
Illustrator
Frauke Berg
Authors
Gerlind Hector, Cheryll Mühlen, Jemima Gnacke, Fredericke Winkler
