Behind the scenes: This is how our trade fairs were

You can find our beloved products not only in our online shop but also in many wonderful little stores. To give the retailers the chance to see all our products, hold them in their hands, and order them for their shops, we go every year to the Trendset in Munich and the Nordstil here in Hamburg. To make it feel like you were there with us, here is our behind-the-scenes look:

Ascan and Felix take care of assembling the furniture every year with a small team of helpers. I asked Ascan which item absolutely must not be missing: "Definitely the cordless screwdriver! So many pieces of furniture are assembled, walls screwed together, and shelves installed, we would need forever if we forgot our cordless screwdrivers! Also, without our ladders, we would be pretty stuck, I have to say. And honestly, nothing is nicer than drinking a cold after-work beer after a successful setup. This year, fittingly, one of our booth builders celebrated his 50th birthday during the setup. Of course, we had to toast to that. By now, we are such a great team that we also like to spend days like these together."

This year, we had our very own trade fair walls for the first time. That’s super exciting because you always worry a bit if everything will work out in the end. But everything worked perfectly, and now we have tall, white trade fair walls and we love them! Check out our before-and-after comparison:

Since our range is getting bigger, the booth is also getting bigger, which is why the guys didn’t just build a kitchen and a bathroom this year; a small office and a bedroom also found a place at our booth.

As soon as all the furniture was in place, the decoration team with Lena, Tini, Lelle, Lini, Marie & Emily arrived to put all the products in the right place and decorate them lovingly. At first, that sounds like a very relaxed task, but it actually takes quite a lot of time. The girls stay as long as the fair allows every day during setup. This year, they stayed until 2:30 a.m. each night and would have loved to lie down in our upcoming bedding themselves. But the effort was worth it! Our booth turned out wonderfully beautiful. Every time I’m at the fair, I wish the girls would jump straight into my apartment afterward and continue decorating there.

I asked Lena what she enjoys most about the setup: "Wandering around and searching for treasures that complete our booth. We always get really excited when we find accessories that really showcase the products, create coziness, and convey the right atmosphere. For example, we found the great typewriter in a second-hand shop beforehand. In moments like that, we’re just happy because it fits so perfectly."

One of the highlights is always our little lucky tree, which finds its place in the middle and thus at the heart of the booth. After the fair, it goes to Lena and Felix’s garden. (By now, they have a small forest of lucky trees from the fair there.) When Lena and Tini wanted to pick up our tree at the hardware store this year, they ran their shopping cart into locked doors. We Hamburgers hadn’t really kept the Munich holiday Epiphany in mind, which made for a pretty funny start to the day.

Tini, can you tell us where you get your inspiration from so that the booth always looks so cozy and homely? "The many plants on our booth create a very special coziness and fit perfectly with the home-like character we want to achieve with our booth because we always think of our products in rooms. Where do the individual pieces fit best? How would I use the products at home? This creates a feeling of being at home—a small place where you immediately feel welcome. My favorite spot is always the big mood table in the middle. We try to decorate it so that you want to sit down right away to eat with everyone at this table. I love it!"

Right after the setup, the team of trade fair sellers arrives in quick succession. Marie, Marina, Marleen, Lara, Felix, AC, Stephan, Marie, and I guided our dear retailers through our booth, showed our favorite products, and shared exciting background knowledge. For dear Lara, it was her first fair, so I immediately wanted to know how it felt, what her personal highlight was, and what the retailers she spoke to were most happy about. "Phew, I don’t even know where to start. You’re super proud to work at such a beautiful booth and to show our products to our retailers. But it’s also incredibly exhausting to walk through our small Eulenschnitt rooms again and again for two weekends in a row. I think I was still walking around with the clipboard in my dreams at night and telling my boyfriend about our rabbit bag."

"At the fair, you notice even more how well our team fits together and supports each other. We are like a small gear where everything meshes. The most beautiful moment was simply when Lelle’s parents surprised us in Hamburg with small bags of sweets. For me, it became clear again what a great family business we are. Not only do we all support each other, but the families of our colleagues also fully stand behind us and provide us with everything we need." And what was the nicest moment for the retailers when you guided them through the booth? "Oh, that was our storage jars in the bedroom. They were displayed with beautiful block candles. Usually, the retailers have already ordered our storage jars for the kitchen. In the bedroom, they then wanted the candle jars as well. The little aha moment when we explained that these are the storage jars was always lovely."

As soon as the fair is over, the guys are back in no time with our booth builders to pack all our products, walls, and furniture into the truck. "We need about 64 hours for the setup; the teardown usually takes 8 to 9 hours." Ascan says with a wink.

For us, the fairs are always exciting, full of silly and funny moments, marked by tiredness and too little sleep. We love it and are already looking forward to the fairs in summer! After the fair is always before the fair ♥️

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