5 minute read
Insights-X Sarah Laker reports
An insight into Nuremberg
When the organisers of stationery show Insights-X asked Greetings Today if we knew a stationery fan who was active on social media, we knew just who to recommend! So Sarah Laker, who owns two shops in Cheshire, jetted off to Germany to report for us…
It’s not every day you get invited to a trade fair in Germany as an influencer! In fact when I received the email I replied straight away that I thought they had the wrong person. But apparently they didn’t, so October 6 saw me flying off to Nuremberg to Insights-X expo to take part in a ‘bloggers and Influencers’ tour.
I was a little apprehensive as I don’t speak any German. However, I needn’t have worried as I soon found that there are no language barriers when you bond over the mutual love of stationery or greeting cards.
The 12 ladies on the tour were made very welcome by the Insights-X team; nothing was too much trouble for them. During a general introduction over coffee and sandwiches I quickly bonded with two lovely ladies from Portugal and Poland who not only spoke English but were also fellow stationery and card geeks.
A gaggle of stationery and card geeks! ABC’s grass paper card Online Pens
“The highlight of the tour was visiting the ABC greeting card stand; founded in Switzerland in 1905 it produces more than 3,000 designs of cards’’
The tour lasted for over two hours, taking in seven stands including cards, filing, pens, rucksacks, marker pens, gifts, and notebooks. I found not only the exhibitors interesting but also my fellow tour companions as I watched, and learned, from the way that they approached recording the tour. I was the only ‘old school’ note taker there.
One hall of the show seemed to be almost full of stands selling rucksacks; this intrigued me and I was told that in Europe school children all need their own rucksack, whereas here in the UK most primary schools have their own book bags. Trends in rucksacks seemed similar with pastel shades and licenced products. There were also many ranges of brightly patterned paper cones (called Schultüte),
Edding
which I found out are filled with treats and stationery to be given to the children when they first start school in Germany. How I’d love that to be a tradition in the UK too!
The highlight of the tour for me was visiting the ABC greeting card stand. The company was founded in Switzerland in 1905; it produces more than 3,000 designs of cards, with the range I most liked being made from grass paper with plastic-free packaging.
It was good to see that sustainability was on the agenda for many of the suppliers we visited on the tour, with products shown being made from recycled materials such as the 2nd life range by Online Pens, where the pens and notebook covers are made from recycled bottles and cups.
Edding is also very committed to minimising the effects of its products on the environment while also producing modern, attractive products that are on trend, such as neon acrylic markers that blend like watercolours, pastel ranges and keeping its well-known metallic range of pens bang up to date with a rose gold version. Packaging is minimal and recyclable, and it was a joy to see a company so committed to its environmental responsibility that 70% of its products are refillable.
Neon was also trending among many of the exhibitors, with Herma having a new range of neon filing, including pink - one of 2022’s hottest colours in fashion.
While talking to a couple of the suppliers I was impressed to hear that they were taking their corporate social responsibility seriously by using home workers to pack or finish products. A range of Sheep World’s cards were handmade at home by single parents, while another company’s pencils were packaged by survivors of domestic abuse.
All exhibitors were so proud to show us their products, and by the time we finished we had bags bulging with free samples and had even been indulged with mocktails and snacks.
The tour ended with a group photo at the stationery throne, and then I split off with my newfound stationery-loving friends to visit a couple of exhibitors we spotted on the way round including Zieler, a UK-based art supplier that I stock in both my shops.
A good day was then made even better when upon checking my emails I heard that I’d been shortlisted for the Boss Federation Independent Stationery Retailer award! This deserved a celebration so my husband and I headed to one of the oldest sausage houses in the city centre to try the local beer and the famous Nuremberg sausage, which I can report is absolutely delicious
Nuremberg is perhaps best known for the war trials held in 1946 and the Nazi rally grounds, however we also found that it is a beautiful city to explore with old city walls and a wonderful medieval castle, along with a bustling vibe and great places to eat and drink. Trams, underground trains and buses are all easy to navigate and tickets are available via an app. However public transport is free on the days Insights-X is open, with your show pass.
Stein in Nuremberg is also home to one of the oldest family-run businesses in the world, and a legend in the stationery world, Faber Castell, which was founded in 1761. Sadly it was closed at the weekend so we couldn’t take the factory tour, however it was well worth a short underground ride to have a look at the buildings.
Sausage celebration! Faber Castell
