Going live again at last: re-start of Insights-X offers specialist trade a successful mix of trends, knowledge-sharing and networking

• Innovations and new ideas from 153 exhibitors from 35 countries
• Valuable expertise shared in the InsightsArena
• The popular AfterHour gathering on the first evening of the fair

Following the break for the pandemic, Insights-X is bringing the stationery industry together again at the perfect ordering point in the autumn. The exhibition, the sole independent trade fair for the international stationery sector in Germany, takes place from 5 to 7 October at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre. Thanks to changes in the hall structure and the availability of the accompanying business platform Insights-X Digital, participants can enjoy an even more efficient visit to the fair. At the same time, they will still be able to rely on the familiar overall concept developed by the organiser, Spielwarenmesse eG. This includes the wide-ranging innovations across six product groups, the relaxed networking atmosphere and the richly varied supporting programme of events.

Comprehensive product portfolio

“The mood among participants is excellent. After such a long time, everyone is looking forward to meeting up in person and to the product presentations,” says Christian Ulrich, Spokesperson of the Executive Board at Spielwarenmesse eG, on the successful launch of the seventh Insights-X. A total of 153 exhibitors from 35 countries are presenting their innovations and new ideas in the stationery field. What they particularly value is the fair’s strength in the back-to-school sector, the high decision-making power of the specialist retailers, and the clear structure of the fair with its short distances. This year, access to Insights-X is possible from the central Entrance West and the fair has a new hall arrangement: the Bags & Accessories section is in Hall 12.0, both Paper & Filing and Desktop & Office are in Hall 11.0, and the three sections Artistic & Creative, Stationery & Gift articles and Writing utensils & Equipment are all in Hall 10.0. Well-known brands are represented, as are startups. New exhibitors include, for example, Bigso (Sweden), who are showing original desktop accessories and archive boxes, and Accent Manufacturing with their innovative adhesive products – whose appearance puts South Africa into the country lists for the first time. Also celebrating their premiere at Insights-X are Troika (Germany) and Rheita-Krautkrämer (Germany). Nineteen companies are attending for the seventh time – including Insights-X Online in 2020 – and have never missed a fair. These include companies such as Creative Concepts Hellas (Greece), Häfft-Verlag (Germany), Nestler (Germany), Online Schreibgeräte (Germany), Stylex Schreibwaren (Germany), Undercover (Germany) and Vadobag Europe (Netherlands). Creative ideas from new companies are on display in Hall 10.0: Serbian company New Pen is showing pencils made from recycled newspapers, while Pinorama (Germany) and Moyu (Netherlands) are there with special notebooks. More broadly, the exhibitors include more returning exhibitors and famous brands such as ACME United Europe (Germany), Edding (Germany), Herma (Germany), and Paperblanks of Ireland, along with greetings card publisher ABC Glückwunschkartenverlag and Elco, both based in Switzerland. Particularly eyecatching is the DigitalMobil outlet at the entrance to Hall 10.0. With its strikingly painted vehicle, this SME digital centre for retail is bringing trade visitors at the site up to date with digital trends and fresh innovations.

Time for skill sets and updating contacts

Alongside all that the exhibitors have to offer, trade visitors can also take advantage of the latest networking and knowledge-sharing opportunities at the InsightsArena in Hall 10.0. At the InsightsTalks between 1 and 3 pm each day, experts will be speaking on the key topics of online marketing, digitalisation, sustainability and trends in retail and in the stationery sector. On the Wednesday and Thursday, these will be directly followed by the LicenseTalks, giving exciting insights into the world of licensing. Space for relaxed business networking can be found at the PartnerLounge, which is reserved exclusively for traders from the 18 cooperation partners. The InsightsArena, moreover, includes an original photo promotion (#stationerythrone), a foodtruck to satisfy visitors’ appetites and an additional MediaPoint with trade publications. A particular highlight takes place on the first evening of the fair, when from 6 pm the stationery sector gets together at Entrance West for the ever-popular AfterHour. Along with drinks, a buffet and live music, this provides the opportunity to get up to date with contacts and look back over the first day of the fair.

Complementary digital tools

The freshly designed Insights-X app makes the day-to-day business of the fair easy to manage. It includes the catalogue of exhibitors, hall plans, an overview of the programme and a selfie-cam for capturing the best moments of the fair. The app also syncs with the new business platform, Insights-X Digital. Ticket-holders have the ability to find companies and brands quickly using search options, and to save them to their own Favourites list. It also provides a chat option. In addition, the three-day InsightsTalks programme is livestreamed in both German and English. “The mix of pioneering innovations and a familiar personal atmosphere is contributing to a successful re-start for Insights-X,” promises Christian Ulrich. “With its innovative product range and the sharing of up-to-date industry expertise, the specialist trade has a whole raft of new ideas to take back home.” The fair is open from 9 am to 6 pm on the Wednesday and Thursday, and from 9 am to 5 pm on the Friday.

Further information is available on the website www.insights-x.com.