by Danelle Dodds
On a chilly winter stretch in late February, the hottest fair of the retail industry returns to Düsseldorf, Germany, for a week of wonder and sensory experience.
EuroShop is a trade fair that highlights the latest in retail trends that has been operating since 1966. Held every three years, EuroShop hosts more than 2,300 exhibitors from 57 countries. And in the final days of February 2023, it returns to the grounds at Messe Düsseldorf.
Long considered a “gateway to the world’s markets,” EuroShop commands more than 123,000 square meters of exhibit space. Occupying 16 exhibit halls, the seams are bursting with answers to every current and future retail need.
“Nowhere else can a visitor experience such a wide range of developments, solutions and innovations in direct, international comparison and discuss them with experts,” says Elke Moebius, director EuroShop 2023, Messe Düsseldorf. “Many exhibitors are deliberately aligning their developments with the three-year cycle of EuroShop, which is why many product premieres can also be seen in Düsseldorf. In addition, EuroShop is the networking platform of the global retail sector, because this is where the who’s who meets.”
That global draw is what brings so many through the doors. It now welcomes more than 94,000 visitors from more than 142 countries. And every guest will experience retail solutions through a consumer’s lens.
Few realize what components make a multi-sensory shopping experience. So much of the retail experience is driven by emotion. And EuroShop knows how to harness this force by providing solutions that capitalize on it. The nuanced solutions behind the technology, marketing and energy management build a foundation for the shopper experience. And the tangible and sensory elements of store design, scent marketing and persuasive lighting stroke the synapsis of experience, sensuality and emotion to illicit consumer spend. The massive show floor footprint is curated into eight distinct dimensions, each touching on a retail fix that can coax a response from consumers.
In addition to the concrete, the show focuses on what they call their Hot Topics. These are relevant considerations beyond simply the brick-and-mortar. Sustainability, energy management and personalized consumer experiences are three of eight sizzling subjects that give attendees a perspective on the bigger picture of purchasing.
EuroShop practices what it preaches by artfully designing their event to inspire attendees, and the design elements and solutions that are unveiled at EuroShop tend to serve as inspiration for other shows and conventions.
Dana Esposito, EVP of strategy for BlueHive Exhibits, has an opinion on this: “Being a European show, the rules and regulations are much more lenient than US shows, which is a luxury that US exhibit designers covet. Plus, many of the exhibitors have clearly given their exhibit designers a long leash of creativity for their stand designs. Many exhibits are fearless in their look and style, often initiating design trends that eventually influence tradeshow exhibit designs in the US.”
She goes on to say, “I take hundreds of photos when I attend. I present them to our internal team upon my return, I present them to exhibit design students, and I refer to them often for my own inspiration.”
Time spent at EuroShop poises attendees for a fruitful few years ahead. Moebius sums the experience: “We want them to take away exactly what they need to succeed against the tough competition. In other words, inspiration for staging their products and services again and again, creative ideas to inspire the customer and to increase his/her loyalty, and tools and products to enable them to work efficiently and to successfully connect a wide range of channels on- and offline. At the end of EuroShop, the visitor should say exactly what I say: I am already looking forward to the next EuroShop in three years!”
