As majority of the office furniture experts will be aware, Clerkenwell week has to be one of the most important industry events of the year. Let’s face it, everyone in the trade makes an effort to attend and so did we. As it has been a while since the event now, it's given us ample time to reflect on it and we would be delighted to share our views and general feelings on the event with you.
Our thoughts:
Overall, all of us at Calibre agree that it was a useful and insightful event and we’re glad that we attended. We feel it’s definitely a good way of keeping up with new ideas, products, designs and most importantly new concepts! Gone are the days of just looking at the products like newly designed and trendy office chairs or office desks and then returning home!
In fact, learning and having a good understanding about the new concepts that are trending in the market has become greatly important. Some of these concepts include ‘employee wellbeing’ and 'flexible working'. There is therefore now a major emphasis on investing in breakout areas and social office furniture more than ever before.
However, we feel that this event has become very competitive among suppliers and can sometimes become overwhelming for those attending as many suppliers are essentially sharing the same information with you such as the same products, designs, etc. Therefore, the attendees can sometimes experience an information overload. Our advice for the suppliers is to be as unique as possible to one another so the attendees are not faced with any form of repetition.
On a separate note, some of our staff members feel that attending for just one day is not enough. To really get a real feel of trends and new concepts one would really need to go for more than just one day. There’s simply too much information to grasp and a day simply isn’t enough for many.
Furthermore, many suppliers have started to add some excitement and fun to the event by giving people a chance to enter competitions and wining prizes! In fact, one of our staff members has recently won a bottle of champagne from one of the competitions they entered on the day. Brilliant incentive if you ask me!
We also spoke to other industrialists in the market to get their views on the event too. Here is what one of the staff members at SEC Interiors had to say:
“I think that a key style trend was masculine 70s and 80s vintage design style. Using orange, pink and green colours, particularly in velvet, to pop against neutral tones and woodgrain finishes. This collaboration of the modern workplace with vintage design allows for a classic twist of familiarity to a highly contemporary working environment that is continuously evolving.” – Hannah Woodward, Design & Proposals Manager
As you can see from the above statement, there is a great level of emphasis on the existence of new trends in the modern workplace.
Do you also have some feedback to share with us on the Clerkenwell event that took place? If so, get in touch!
