[BC Trips] Research Journal #18 - Amsterdam

showUP is a Dutch trade show for home and gift and is organized twice a year.  The February edition we attended had almost 350 exhibitors;  manufacturers, distributors and agents from Netherlands and abroad.

[The Venue]

The showUP venue was at a glass house, so light came in from the ceiling where solar panels were tightly packed on the roof, and the windows were covered with glass, so natural light came in from all over. As a result, the venue was bright and comfortable compared to a regular trade shows; it felt homy and very gentle to both your body and eyes. The table in the rest areas were decorated with fresh flowers, making it a relaxing and cozy space.

The presented products were in the segments home, living, cooking, gifts & gadgets, kids and stationery. In addition to participating brands the floor is made up of various sections.

• Trend Zone > the trends are visualized and combined and displayed with products of participating brands.
• listenUP > 5 experts will inform you about the latest trends and developments. We were lucky enough to to able to attend “This is a good guide” author Marieke Eyskoot's lecture!  The lecture itself was all in Dutch but afterwards we were able to speak with her separately which was a great honor and also very inspiring!
• startUP@showUP > where you meet new designers, brands or products. These brands are selected from more than 20 applications.
• growUP > selection of Kids brands and products
• UPcycle//ZEROwaste > green designers and environmentally conscious brands. Each of them has their own way to reduce waste. They use different upcycle techniques and fight for a better environment.

[The Products]

Although there was an area dedicated to Upcycle/zerowaste, the sustainable theme was seen throughout the entire venue and many of the brands we spoke with were all very much environmentally conscious.  Here are some pictures and brief explanations on some brands we found were very interesting!

Foekje Fleur from Netherlands: 

Not only sustainable but the color variations make it so much for fun and beautiful.  Bubble Buddy is a container to grate organic soap bars instead of buying liquid soaps in plastic bottles.  It's a great way to start cutting down on plastic use at home.

About Blanks from Netherlands : 

Notebooks made from old book covers and recycled materials. They use already existing materials in order to create recycled note books. Every note book is unique and is crafted by hand. The covers are made of reused covers and the inner part is made of paper from responsible sources (FSC). 

STUDIO FLASH from Belgium: 

This couple remodeled their garage to produce design cards and envelopes using a letter press machine. The "This is waste" series, uses paper waste that is made when making the cards. These handmade vases and bowls are made from recycled wine bottles and waste paper are unique and beautiful.