Interior Lifestyle 2022 ReportThis is a report of the Interior Lifestyle Tokyo trade show held in June 2022. This was our first exhibit at a trade show in three years.

The Interior Lifestyle Tokyo trade show hosted by Messe Frankfurt Japan was held for the first time in roughly three years in June 2022. Ceramic Japan has been hosting a booth at the event every year since 2007, making an effort to use the event as one of our domestic sales tools. We typically time our new product releases and catalog updates to this show, and always include it in our annual schedule. While the event was cancelled, we shifted our new product announcements to the website and social media, but it was frequently difficult for that to lead to new contracts because there is much about ceramics that cannot be understood without holding the pieces in your hands. We reaffirmed that trade shows are an important part of the way Ceramic Japan does business. Therefore, we were very grateful that the trade show was finally restarted. While we were certainly nervous of going in, the event was enriching in the end.

A theme is set each year as the concept for the special exhibit booth hosted by Ceramic Japan at the Interior Lifestyle Tokyo trade show. The theme for 2022 was “blooming”. This concept compares craftsmanship with the growth of flowers, resulting in an exhibit that communicated a story from product development, through production, to the arrival of the product in the user’s hands.

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  Hazara launched 2021
  A renewal of a design created originally in 1995

  Hazara is a plate series that serves well as the theme for special exhibitions. It is a renewal of the design originally released in 1995 through the help of the designer. The renewal is the result of countless prototypes.
  Each piece is completely unique due to using a glazing technique in which the coloration transforms in the kiln during firing, and we displayed them on our booth walls to ensure our booth stood out and left a strong impression even from a distance.
  

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  Hanaemu launched 2022
  These chopstick rests were the result of an idea by our staff.

  Hanaemu is a series of chopstick rests based on a flower motif that was designed following a concept of creating a gift that would be met with joy by a distant friend in these times when we prevented from seeing the people we want to see. The beautiful gradation finish is also the result of repeated research on the production methodology by our staff. The series caught the eyes of many visitors at the trade show, and interested many.

Many visitors came from throughout Japan from the first day of the show, and it was particularly crowded at the special exhibition booth. Roughly 470 visitors stopped by the Ceramic Japan booth during the course of the three-day show, showing interest in our products. We were able to see old customers with whom we’ve done business for the first time in ages, while we also received inquiries from many new ones as well. Our sense was that the reaction to Hazara and Hanaemu was particularly good. Meanwhile, the Crinkle series of flower vases and tableware continued to enjoy strong popularity. Many of visitors were design related students, and they asked us numerous questions about our manufacturing process and the stories behind product planning and development. For Ceramic Japan, a company that tackles craftsmanship from the standpoint of design, we are very pleased to garner attention from future designers, and we look forward to working with them as soon as possible.

Thus, the trade show, hosted for the first time in nearly three years, came to a close. We are grateful for having the chance to connect with many people through the show. We thank everyone for their attendance.