Ornaris: Kaleidoscope of modern trade
Ornaris functions as a traditional trade show for buyers because it is constantly reinventing itself. It is much larger than expected. Expodata took a closer look.
Sustainable production was one of the main topics at Ornaris in Bern from August 17 - 20, 2019. It is now more than a trend, it is a must for retailers respectively their products.
Ornaris relies on fair production among exhibitors, a focus of the fair. And on cooperations with various organizations, where there used to be rigid competition. "The barriers have fallen. We are all under pressure from the market. But you are stronger when you work together," says Muriel Mangold.
The ongoing change with the times leads to the fact that 20 percent new exhibitors come to Ornaris, a deliberate renewal of the fair by the organizer Bernexpo. The proportion of foreign exhibitors hovers around the 20 percent mark, most of them coming from Germany. Ornaris, August 18-21, 2019 in Bern, was attended by 370 exhibitors and 9,500 visitors.
Ornaris is one of the few classic trade shows for retailers in Switzerland. "We are the largest showcase for the retail trade in Switzerland," says Muriel Mangold (pictured below), head of Interior & Design trade shows at Bernexpo. Over time, Ornaris has resisted the temptation to open up to the public. Ornaris is and remains an order fair. It offers buyers the advantage of being able to inform themselves undisturbed and to order in peace.
In a press release, Ornaris describes itself as "the leading order and community platform" of the Swiss retail trade. "But our core business is to create live moments," says Muriel Mangold. "Digital just helps us generate these live moments between people and brands." For Muriel Mangold, Switzerland is too small a marketplace for it to make economic sense for Ornaris to create a Marketplace365.
Exhibitor Pascale Birchmeier from Pink Sand says: "For us it is the most important Swiss trade fair. We are successful here, the visitor structure is right. We always come, Ornaris is a must."
In 2020, the Innopap trade fair for stationery and office supplies will be held for the first time as a "fair within the fair" as part of Ornaris in Zurich. Complementing the traditional "Paper Planet" area, this cooperation will create a central annual rendezvous for the industry for inspiration, networking and purchasing.
The next Ornaris will take place on January 12 - 14, 2020 at Messe Zürich.
