Whatever a person’s lifestyle, occasion or budget, Ambiente 2020 has answers to lifestyle-focused retailers wanting to explore future Giving Trends across all industries. Following the successful restructuring of this area, Ambiente will once again divide Giving into two different stylistic areas in 2020: Urban Gifts and Gift Ideas. In addition, Global Sourcing in Hall 9.3 will feature a wide range of exhibitors from the entire world, all with experience in export. Global Sourcing will therefore be the ideal platform for the conclusion of high-volume business deals.

What are the different facets of today’s giving patterns? Which gift ideas touch the spirit of our age in a time of digitisation and urbanisation? Ambiente 2020 provides answers to the Giving Trends of the future, ranging from stationery, technical gadgets and office items through personal and home accessories to jewellery. With around 800 exhibitors and the highest proportion of cross-industry products, Giving is one of the most diversified product areas. For lifestyle retailers Ambiente is therefore the world’s biggest multi-sector trade fair, while at the same time giving buyers an opportunity to compile suitable product ranges for any target group, any occasion and any budget.

This diversity has major benefits for the industry, as German spendings on gifts rose to around EUR 472 per person in 2018 (according to the German Retail Association HDE). At the same time, today’s end customers and lifestyles are more individualistic than ever before. Which target group buys their gifts where? How can the love of giving be encouraged even further? Which are the target groups with the greatest prospects, and which products fit each lifestyle perfectly? “Ambiente showcases the latest trends in the world of consumer goods. Particularly in giving, a product area that covers a large number of different sectors, it is vital to have a clear product policy. Moreover, it must have a broad base with a large number of target groups and it needs to be efficiently organised. In 2019 we successfully adapted the concept store trend for this product area and divided gift brands into two: Urban Gifts and Gift Ideas. As a result, retailers could be even more focused in their search for innovative products, strategically selecting supplementary products that perfectly matched their corporate identity,” says Yvonne Engelmann, head of Living and Giving.

Hall 11.0: Urban Gifts for every lifestyle

The Urban Gifts hall (Hall 11.0) is both trend and design-focused, fulfilling dreams both big and small. Some consumers prefer gifts made from high-quality materials, while some prefer a functional design, and others want to know the story behind the product and the size of its ecological footprint. There is a tendency to be more cautious in one’s buying decisions, and an increasing number of people now see consumerism as a question of personal attitude.

This makes giving all the more exciting, and Ambiente has become a can’t-miss event for gift retailers wanting to boost people’s love of giving, whether they own concept stores or run lifestyle, décor or accessory shops or indeed traditional gift shops. Hall 11.0 will feature a range of new exhibitors wanting to make the most of this potential by exploring its many facets. Take, for instance, Legendär, whose new collection involves the use of unusual, high-quality materials. Their HYDE document folder is made from the finest saddle leather, vegetable-tanned in artisan tradition.

Another new exhibitor, Forrest & Love, has produced an on-the-go drinks bottle made from pure copper. This precious metal is exactly the right choice for anyone who loves high-quality materials. The mint green COSMO powerbank from the Belgian company usbepower, also a new exhibitor, on the other hand, combines a one-metre braided fabric cable with a rubber ball, making it possible to adjust the length for optimum use – a real alternative to short-cable gadgets that have been in use until now. But there will also be innovative products from established exhibitors such as Räder or the Oreflector reflective badge from the Lithuanian company MARCH – perfect products for today’s increasingly urban environments. Räder’s foldable spectacle case Guck Guck is a real space saver for increasingly smaller housing units where storage space is getting to be a luxury. And the Oreflector badge from the Lithuanian company MARCH shines in the dark, enabling night-time cyclists to get home safely through the streets of any big city. On the other hand, Volker Lang’s high-quality leather bags combine a touch of purism with an element of playfulness.

Ambiente 2020 will see the return of Familie von Quast, Pleased to Meet, No Gallery and the Finnish manufacturer of wooden decorative figures Lovi.

Hall 11.1: Classic gifts and the latest from the industry all in one place

This year the Gifts Ideas hall (Hall 11.1) will be featuring classic gifts with a firm focus on regional artisans. They will include established brands such as G. Wurm, Cepewa and Bellissima Creation as well as this year’s newcomer, the Spanish umbrella and parasol studio Rusqué. For many years this family enterprise has been the only Spanish manufacturer of umbrellas and parasols, and its brands cover the entire colour spectrum. A sense of home is also created by Trenkle, an artisan studio that makes vibrantly coloured cuckoo clocks. In its ExS line, the family enterprise combines craftsmanship with vibrant colours. A shield clock with Kuckulino quartz clockworks is like a declaration of love to the German Black Forest. The artisan studio is represented in this year’s new souvenirs & collectibles area, Sweet Memories, where over 35 regional artisans will be exhibiting their souvenir gifts, featuring memories (amongst others) from Germany’s Ore Mountains as well as Toledo, Istanbul and Bethlehem.

Another highlight in Hall 11.1 at Ambiente 2020 will be the Ambiente Academy. As well as an additional venue in Hall 9.1, visitors can look forward to numerous industry insights here, covering the areas of retail, point of sale, brand building and e-commerce. Gift retailers will value the Academy as a knowledge and networking platform that will help them develop creative ideas and convince consumers to buy gifts in high street shops. Moreover, the Academy will be full of inspiring alternatives to cash gifts and will also give retailers an even better understanding of their youngest target group. On the Saturday of the trade fair, Dr. Steffi Burkhart will be giving a talk on the expectations of Generations Y and Z, enabling gift retailers to gain a better understanding of the mindset of a young customer – a target group whose values include more mindful and proactive consumption and puts a major emphasis on digital networking and individual appeal. But the Academy will also provide considerable inspiration for trade visitors from other retail sectors. Non-food retailers will enjoy Achim Fringes’ talk entitled “Food is the New Shopping”, with ideas on the smart combination of non-food and food at the POS. At the same time they will undoubtedly find the perfect gift items for their supplementary ranges in the hall.

Global Sourcing in Halls 9.3 and 9.2

At Global Sourcing Giving in Hall 9.3 large-volume buyers of gift items will see a variety of exhibitors from the entire world, all with experience in export. Several joint stands will be available, where suppliers from the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Kenya, Tanzania, Guatemala and elsewhere will be offering both industrially made and handcrafted products. This is where gift items and artisan products from the entire world can be sourced by importers and wholesalers wanting to buy in bulk. In addition, Global Sourcing in Hall 9.3 will feature further retailers who specialise in sourcing – from Mongolia, Zimbabwe and Guatemala – making it one of the most international halls at Ambiente. But visitors will find it equally worthwhile to look at Hall 9.2 – another hall with plenty of inspiration and a wide range of decorative and ethical style products suitable as gifts.

This year several aid organisations – such as the World Fair Trade Organisation (WFTO) and the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) – will be supporting a number of selected exhibitors. In 2020 they are from Africa, Hong Kong, the Palestinian territories and other Middle Eastern countries. Visitors can also look forward to a South Korean start-up area with the focus on the B2B market.

Ambiente 2020 will take place from 7 to 11 February 2020.

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