On 18 January， Messe Frankfurt GmbH announced that due to the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic， Ambiente 2021， originally scheduled to be held physically in Frankfurt am Main from 17 to 20 April 2021， has been canceled this year. Instead， the online platform Consumer Goods Digital Day will offer companies a trade platform to form business and compensate for the absence of the physical Ambiente this year.
　　A fruitful previous edition
　　The last Ambiente was held from February 7 to 11， 2020. In total， around 108，000 buyers came to Ambiente from nearly 160 countries， seeking inspiration and looking to procure products for their new collections. 62 per cent came from countries outside Germany. One major reason for the reduction in visitors’ numbers was the impact of the coronavirus. Many German and international retail companies， and indeed major ones， had banned their workforce from travelling. Also， from Sunday onwards air and rail traffic were at times completely paralyzed throughout Germany and Europe.
　　“If a trade fair is impacted by two such events， it really does face enormous challenges，” says Detlef Braun， Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt. “But our exhibitors assessed the situation correctly. And the trade visitors came to Frankfurt with a positive mindset and keen to place orders，” the experienced trade fair specialist adds. Satisfaction ratings among visitors continued to be at a robust level of 95 per cent. Due to the unusual situation， noticeable shifts could be observed among the top ten visitor nations. After Germany， they were Italy， France， the Netherlands， Spain， the UK， Turkey， the United States， Russia， Japan and China. This year growth could be observed in the numbers of visitors from Estonia， Japan， Jordan， Colombia， Romania and Turkey.
　　“If a trade fair is impacted by two such events， it really does face enormous challenges，” says Detlef Braun， Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt. “But our exhibitors assessed the situation correctly. And the trade visitors came to Frankfurt with a positive mindset and keen to place orders，” the experienced trade fair specialist adds. Satisfaction ratings among visitors continued to be at a robust level of 95 per cent. Due to the unusual situation， noticeable shifts could be observed among the top ten visitor nations. After Germany， they were Italy， France， the Netherlands， Spain， the UK， Turkey， the United States， Russia， Japan and China. This year growth could be observed in the numbers of visitors from Estonia， Japan， Jordan， Colombia， Romania and Turkey. 　　Thomas Grothkopp， Managing Director of the German Trade Association for Residential Accommodation and Offices （HWB）， adds： “Ambiente has demonstrated yet again that there’s a need for the real world of products， brands and people as an environment for concluding mutually beneficial deals. Retailers made extensive use of the opportunities that are provided by Messe Frankfurt at Ambiente.”


　　Physical Ambiente to be canceled for the first time
　　Back in last year， Messe Frankfurt GmbH decided to held the offline Ambiente， Christmasworld and Paperworld together under the name of International Consumer Goods Show – Special Edition， to offer all participants the opportunity for business meetings， ordering and networking in Frankfurt. However， in middle January 2021， the organizer sees that there is still no end to the pandemic in sight. Events are effectively banned in Germany， and ongoing international travel restrictions mean that it is impossible to make any trade fair plans for April or May 2021.
　　Due to the fact that physical events are not possible， Messe Frankfurt has created numerous digital offerings for its customers. Consumer Goods Digital Day on April 20th， 2021， for example， offer customers the opportunity to get together at a digital location where they can engage in dialogue and obtain information. The content of the Digital Day will be focused on ways in which retailers can help their businesses， particularly since it has not been possible to hold any international flagship fairs in Frankfurt featuring the relevant presentation possibilities and supporting programmes since Ambiente 2020. This content will be supplemented by the opportunities presented by Nextrade， the first order and data management portal for the home and living sector. Nextrade also offers attractive possibilities for manufacturers of finished home and household textiles to present their products， as well as a frequently used channel through which they can promote business with retailers and traders.
　　“The ongoing shutdown of retailers in our visitor countries has made relevant up-to-date information and solutions essential， and we are satisfying this demand with our digital offerings during this volatile time. As you know， we are also continuing to do everything in our power to make safe and successful trade fairs possible， because nothing can take the place of face-to-face encounters.” said Detlef Braun， Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt.
　　Ambiente will be opening its doors from 11 to 15 February 2022 in its customary slot.