Boost synergies, streamline processes, focus expertise: Messe Frankfurt groups Tendence and Nordstil together in a new Business Unit

Despite increasing sales, the consumer-goods industry has been characterised by consolidations, mergers and business closures for many years. Different studies indicated that this far-reaching process of structural change will continue both nationally and internationally in the future.

These developments affect even a leading trade-fair format such as Tendence and are reflected by declining numbers of participants on both the exhibitor and visitor sides.

Discussions with trade associations and decision makers on the customer side confirm the need for the internal organisational structure of Tendence to be adapted. Thus, following a fundamental strategic review, the Tendence and Nordsti trade fairs will be grouped together in a new Business Unit under Philipp Ferger who is now responsible for the organisation and content of these two events.

Explaining this, Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, says: “With the decision to increase the degree of separation between Tendence and Ambiente, we have taken the most effective way of giving our two fairs a future-oriented, streamlined and efficient organisational structure. This means we are transferring the highly successful processes of other consumer-goods fairs to Tendence. We wish the new Business Unit with Mr Ferger and his team every success.”

Philipp Ferger was appointed Director of Regional Consumer Goods Fairs with effect from 15 November 2013 - firstly for Nordstil and then, from June 2015, for the collaboration with Leipziger Messe for Vivanti. He will continue to carry out the duties of this position. As in the past, he reports directly to Stephan Kurzawski, Senior Vice President, Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH.

Bettina Bär has been appointed Director of the new Tendence Team. A graduate in business administration, she was previously Sales Manager in the Living section of the Ambiente and Tendence trade fairs and, from her many years of experience in the sales field, is extremely familiar with the consumer-goods sector. Following positions with the German Gymnastics Federation and Lufthansa, Bettina Bär will be responsible for the organisation and content of the fair, as well as future developments. She reports directly to Ferger.

Ambiente will continue to be the responsibility of Vice President Nicolette Naumann who is supported by Yvonne Engelmann, Director for the Giving and Living sections, and Thomas Kastl, Director for the Dining section. Within the framework of these restructuring measures, Sabine Scharrer, who was Director for the Living section of Ambiente and Tendence for many years, was appointed Director of the Home Textiles section of Heimtextil, the world's leading international trade fair for home and contract textiles, with effect from the beginning of May 2016.

Source: Messe Frankfurt Exhbition GmbH

Read more news related Tendence published at Infurma

Visit the “Fairs & Events” Calendar at Infurma