After rather sobering years, the trade fair location Berlin can take a deep breath. With revised and much more focused formats, the sister events Premium and Seek, organized by the Premium Group, met with a positive response from the specialist audience this week and provided fresh impetus.
Jörg Arntz, the CEO of the Premium Group, was correspondingly satisfied: “We are delighted that the newly curated concept was so well received. It went better than expected,” he explained in the final report published by the trade fair company on Thursday. It was obvious that thanks to the successful selection of brands, the trade fairs were much younger and more modern this time – which also affected the visitors. “The new generation of the industry could not be overlooked,” emphasized Arntz.
In addition to the consistent brand selection, to which some well-known mainstream providers fell victim, the upgrading of Seek, which has always been aimed at a younger target group, also contributed to the fresher appearance. With 200 brands, half of which are produced sustainably, the trade fair, which specializes in streetwear and leisure fashion, gained noticeably in importance compared to Premium, at which 250 brands were represented. In addition, both events grew closer together during the first joint edition in the historic halls of the former postal freight station at Gleisdreieck without completely losing their specific profiles.
Premium CEO Arntz is optimistic about the winter season
In view of the successful reforms, Arntz is optimistic about the coming season: “We couldn’t wish for a better starting position for the winter,” he explained. “It remains exciting.”
After the farewell to Premium founder Anita Tillmann announced at the beginning of the week, Arntz will in future lead the trade fair company alone as CEO. The management team also includes Franziska Diers as show director of Premium, Marie-Luise Patzelt as show director of Seek and Maren Wiebus as event and creative director.
The next issues of Premium and Seek are already scheduled for January 16th and 17th, 2024. Unlike last time, the trade fairs will probably no longer take place at the same time as the fashion shows in the capital: According to the organizers, the next Berlin Fashion Week is planned for February 4th to 7th next year.
The sustainable trade fair Beyond Fashion complements the major events
As a supplement to Premium and Seek, the small trade fair Beyond Fashion, which specializes in sustainable suppliers, has now established itself and started its second season last week.
In two halls of the slightly off-the-beaten-track Atelier Studios on the edge of the former Tempelhof Airport, the exhibiting brands, some of which were also represented at Seek, did not rely on high visitor frequencies but on the opportunity to present their production methods, which often required particularly explanation, to the interested specialist audience to explain calmly.
At the beginning, the response was rather restrained in view of the large trade fairs taking place at the same time – but that is why the organizers had planned Thursday as an additional trade fair day from the outset, while Premium and Seek were limited to Tuesday and Wednesday this time.
