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The WM Events team traveled to the Big Apple last weekend to experience what the New York International Gift Fair had to offer. As we searched for great ideas and found inspiration, we took note of major trends both in products and presentation. We want to share with you what we found. Enjoy!
1. Hey, that wood is vinyl.
Booth designs need to look great but assemble and disassemble pretty easily. We take special notice of these creative expressions because of the same is true of creating events. Take a look at the faux wood consoles below that are printed on vinyl. We love their unexpected nature!
2. Why build it when you can draw it?
Remember when we first reported to you guys about the versatility of chalk back in January of last year? Well we are still seeing a lot of this classroom trend. It’s appearing in various colors (terracotta shown below), as printouts that aren’t actually chalk, and in white washes to mute the layers underneath. The team also noticed a lot of booth designs with a hand drawn motif of cartoon black lines used to define objects and create environments.
3. All About Precision
Laser cut items were also a big trend at the show this year (more to follow on that trend in the next blog post). It allows for meticulous and intricate patterns in a variety of materials while suggesting a purposed devote to detail. In a similar thread, we adore this geometric string art. It reminds me of the inspiration for our ribbon treatment!
4. Think Modular
Two of our favorite things at the show were a really cool modular set design and the innovative use of cardboard. The modular set pieces all fit inside of each other when not assembled and include cool clamps for an industrial look. Custom cardboard figures, cardboard skulls, cardboard furniture and even cardboard, wall-mounted animal heads were lurking around every aisle at the show. They all come assembled in a nice flat package too!
5. Shabby chic is still in
If we had to define an overall look at the show, we’d say it is along the lines of urban rustic. The natural and repurposed look is still in, and continues to offer advancements and variations on the theme. It’s been really interesting to see the progression of this trend from farm to party table. I wonder what’s next.
-William Fogler
WM Events
