Maison & Objet show’s next edition to feature new exhibitor segmentation

By

Christel Divert

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Jan 25, 2018

The Maison & Objet show is going to focus primarily on its fundamentals, home decoration (Maison) and design objects (Objet). A return to its roots for the Parisian trade show dedicated to lifestyle, decoration and design, which will feature two broad areas, each split into various sections.  The new segmentation follows a previous make-over, introduced in early 2016. "In that year, we commissioned a strategic study to an external agency, to gain a better understanding of the needs of visitors and exhibitors. We then made an internal evaluation of the [show’s] segmentation, working with Jean-Luc Colonna d’Istria and François Delcaux, in order to make it more user-friendly, especially for first-time visitors," said Philippe Brocard, the show's director.

Maison & Object visitors can be split into two categories: two thirds of them are retailers and buyers, and one third are specifiers, chiefly designers and architects. "These two kinds of visitors do not go about their searches in the same fashion. Buyer searches are product-driven, while specifiers go primarily for style. We therefore decided to institute a broad ‘product’ section (Objet), and a ‘style’ one (Maison)."

The Objet section will be split in seven thematic areas: Cook and Share, Smart Gift, Fashion Accessories, Kids & Family, Home Accessories, Home Fragrances and Home Linen. The Maison section will instead comprise four areas: Today, devoted to contemporary design, Forever, timeless and rather classic, Unique & Eclectic, for unique items with an original background, and Craft, for fine craftsmanship.

Clustering fashion exhibitors together in one area is simply due to the fact that their numbers are growing increasingly. "The target are above all stores selling homeware and home decoration products, but also concept stores which offer a range of lifestyle products. However, fashion buyers who visit the show do so to find a range of products that are complementary to the fashion items which, by and large, they find elsewhere," said Philippe Brocard, who added: "The survey also indicated that the show is a significant resource for the industry, a reference for finding new brands and new products. The web is increasingly a competitor, but we are very active in that respect, notably after the launch of our digital platform last year."

Though the show's final attendance figures were not yet published last Tuesday, the show's last day, initial estimates are that the number of visitors grew between 3% and 4% compared to last year's January session, the vast majority of them coming from outside France.