The Filipino’s spot in the world’s biggest consumer goods fair
MANILA, Philippines - At the 56th Manila FAME last month, a slew of exhibitors, buyers, and international spectators, had a peek of Spanish-Filipino designer Iñigo Elizalde’s kaleidoscopic textiles in magnified Maranao print, Vito Selma’s organic-romantic gemelina pieces literally growing out of trees, Ito Kish’s Gabriela in all her nude glory and grace, and the finest Filipino craftsmen from all over the archipelago, each of them showing their take on state-of-the-art design.
They saw the vibrant direction of our country’s design industry amid whispered conversations of shifting manufacturing attention from the expanding-expensive China to our more welcoming shores, while our local creators consistently hit the sustainable, handcrafted global megatrend dead-on; in a nutshell, a monumentally successful showcase of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM). But now that the curtain has dropped, the lights are dimmed, and the doors of the SMX Convention Center closes to us design disciples, is it time for our local designers and producers to rest on their newly-minted laurels and wait for the international orders to come flooding in?
“We believe that Philippine exporters should be more competitive around the world, and this could only be achieved by joining international trade shows,” notes Worldwide Exhibitions Linkage Services (We-Link) general manager Wilbert Novero in a press luncheon sponsored by the country’s leading export promotion firm in introducing international trade fair giant Messe Frankfurt to the rest of the Philippine design republic, perhaps the most strategic next step in a Filipino designer’s path to international renown.
With a rich economic history centered in international trade, Frankfurt was the first (as document evidences prove) to hold an international trade fair, as early as the Medieval period. With its centuries-long success of being a confident banking capital in the heart of Europe, Frankfurt was also the pioneer in establishing a fair and exhibitions company, the “Austellungs und Festhallen-Gessellschaft mbH” in 1901. And as the campaign for globalization reached its zenith in 1992, the revolutionary state-owned company, thankfully, changed its name to Messe Frankfurt, the moniker synonymous to the world’s biggest and most successful international trade fair organizer.
Messe Frankfurt’s leading design and lifestyle trade exhibition, Ambiente, is earmarked as the world’s most important event for the consumer goods sector, attracting over 140,000 trade visitors from over 160 countries to Frankfurt at the first five days of the business year (February 15-19 for the following year). With over 4,500 trade exhibitors from the world’s most luxurious brands to the most promising young creators (with free exhibition space, and sometimes airfare accommodation provided by Messe Frankfurt), Ambiente sets the tone for the furnishing, accessories, and gift items that shall be coveted across the world for the rest of the year. With masterful organization and presentation developed by invaluable global consumer insight, the Ambiente features three distinct exhibit zones: Living, which features furnishing ideas, home accoutrements, and indoor and outdoor décor; Dining, which delectably displays kitchen implements, table arrangements, and professional appliance and equipment; and Giving, a generous showcase of the finest things in life worth sharing, such as jewelry, beauty and bath items, and objects d’ art.
Nicolette Naumann, Ambiente vice president and one of the world’s most notable tastemakers, further enthused the potential of Filipino design and craftsmanship in the global setting. “We see a real business for Philippine companies in Ambiente, as the future of design shifts to the traditional production methods with modern, contemporary applications,” she noted, adding that the development of hotels, real estate developments, and spa and wellness facilities among the developing nations spark interest in accessories and lifestyle items that are closer to our own local aesthetic. “This is a perfect feature for contract business exhibitions, as we introduce our exhibitors to buyers from the Arab region, Eastern Europe, and Asia, particularly Singapore and China, all with particularly growing, tourist-centered industries,” she further explains, emphasizing Ambiente’s unquestionable competence in bridging global trade relationships in even the most colossal scales.
Yet the perks do come with perils, Naumann also echoed the concerns of most of our local design practitioners. “The Philippine product has a strong demand in the gift market, but the Philippines cannot be competitive with price alone. You need image-oriented presentation, design-driven production methods, and a firm attention to quality. China is losing market share in the consumer goods industry because of its rising production prices, and the world’s consumers will shift to the ASEAN countries. But the Philippines has to find its own strengths in answering this challenge,” she reveals with seasoned insight and calculated outlook that mirrors the sentiments of the buying world. “With the shifting economic landscape, it is important to address competitiveness and start relationships with other developing countries,” Naumann advices.
CITEM executive director, Rosvi Gaetos recognizes this challenge, which virtually set the feel and prospect for this year’s Manila FAME. Identity, she believes, should spark the Philippines’ robust reentry in the global design market. “Branding is not just a logo, it is a promise that has to be fulfilled,” says Gaetos, noting the popular Department of Tourism ad and its relation to the country’s developing design scene. “Branding is a country exercise. We are very happy with what the government is doing now, taking the brand along in all branches of our bureaucracy, but we need to remain consistent. The CITEM will go hand in hand with exhibitors to make sure that the brand of the Philippines would be a unifying image in showcasing our products to the rest of the world,” adds Gaetos.
“The consumers now are looking at where the products are manufactured, and I wish they find the real value of craftsmanship and put premium for products made in the Philippines,” shares notable Movement 8 pioneer and internationally acclaimed designer Tony Gonzales. Gonzales has been exhibiting at the Ambiente for all of eight years, simultaneously serving as curator for the Philippine showcase in the world’s finest assemblage of lifestyle and luxury goods. “The Ambiente is a good way of testing your products with the rest of the world. If you want to sell, go to Ambiente,” he testifies. “It also provides a good experience for designers, with a lot of shows, features, and reviews that guide designers on the creative and business sides of the industry.”
“Trade shows are the only way how you can be international, by opening your business to the prospects of export and development,” reminds Nicolette Naumann, and with the Ambiente creating the ambience for success our most notable designers clearly aspire for, maybe it is in Frankfurt where Filipino design, ingenuity, and craftsmanship would best be viewed. While our very own Manila FAME masterfully displayed what our own local creativity can be capable of, perhaps our spot in Messe Frankfurt’s Ambiente could showcase what our design identity is and how it will define the rest of the world, for as long as Filipinos have the hands and minds to create, the world could never help but notice.
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Messe Frankfurt’s Ambiente, slated for Feb. 15 to 19, 2013 in Frankfurt, Germany, encourages Filipino designers and lifestyle exhibitors to be a part of the world’s biggest international consumer goods trade fair. For more information, contact Worldwide Exhibitions Linkage Services at 750-8588 to 92, 887-1304, fax: 750-8585, 844-2882, 887-1305, or e-mail info@we-link.gesi.com.ph, or visit their office at Units 1003-1004 Antel 2000 Corporate Center, Valero St., Salcedo Village, Makati City.
