This year we visited Design Prima - the annual trade show for the office furniture industry. This year - being a recession I guess - the attendance seemed a little thin on the ground. There were a few of the old favourites - Vitra, Pledge, Orangebox etc - but this year there seemed to be a lot more unknown European designers.
Sadly, there wasn't a huge amount of new and interesting products on show. There was a couple of seating manufacturers that thought the show would be a good time to 'rebrand' as something new and more 'designerish' - as if they think that's why business is quiet. It was a shame really, as the seating they had on display was boring and predictable. But that's just my opinion.
Overall the show was positive - with many feeling that the worst was over. Some dealers were saying business was picking up and things were improving.
The comments from within the industry have been that the 2009 show wasn't as good as previous years, and that perhaps the venue is too small and limiting? We'll see what 2010 holds in store....
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