Trends at Interiors
UBM wanted to understand how it could tap into the fresh thinking produced by the students to generate an attraction which would assist its visitors in re-evaluating interior design and help it to develop new ideas. Seeking to inspire its audience as part of its offer, International Show Director Cathy Oates gave the challenge to Birmingham City University to bring future interior design thinking to the show.
Birmingham City University, in partnership with global trends prediction agency Global Color Research - Mix Publications and international wall-covering manufacturer Tektura, created “Trends”, a thought-provoking exhibition to interpret colours, textures and design features.
Trends is essentially an exhibition which unfolds the interior sector future trends as forecasted by Global Color Mix, using the ideas, prototypes, and concepts developed by some 100 students trained at the University’s Birmingham Institute of Art and Design.
The students from BA Textile Design, BA Product Design, BA Interior Design and MA Interior Design, supported by Course Directors, receive a detailed brief from Global Color which feeds into a 12-week programme of activity. Supported by a programme management team, the students produce many hundreds of concepts based on the brief received, which are pulled together using the skills of a curatorial team.
The process generates a phenomenal spectrum of ideas, ranging from accessories, wall-coverings, floor coverings, and overall room concepts, highlighting the range and variety of fresh thinking and innovation that can be generated using this type of process.
The Client
UBM Live is a leading global media company which operates a number of market leading exhibitions, awards, websites including the unique brand leader “interiors”. Interiors is an international exhibition for retailers, interior designers, architects and contractors covering furniture, lighting, flooring, soft furnishings and accessories from high-end to volume and traditional to modern.
Our partnership with Birmingham City University is an essential part of our vision to create provocative, flamboyant, highly visual stimulation for our visitors, which shows up-to-the-minute trends in an innovative and creative way.
Cathy Oates, International Show Director – Interiors, UBM Live
Results
As a result of UBM's continuing investment in the initiative, the concept has grown to become a key visitor attraction and PR vehicle for the show, resulting in added value for visitors, exhibitors and UBM partners.
Since the partnership began, UBM Live has been able to link the project with other partnerships that it has developed including Global Color Mix, allowing it to demonstrate additional value to its exhibitors.
The work generated as part of the stand has toured with their other showcase exhibitions, with some of the wall coverings featuring in Decorex, its high-end Interiors showcase.
Benefits
- Birmingham City University has been working with Interiors Birmingham exhibition organiser UBM Live for the past five years.
- The development of an eye-catching stand showcasing the student work on four trend pavilions featured in the national broadsheets and lifestyle magazines with a range of web coverage.
- The stand seen by a host of visitors (up to 50,000) generates about 200 specific enquiries and conversations about the students' work and future trends.
- Student work used for each of the main hall entrances (in 2009 and 2010, but not 2011) at the show with Birmingham City University branding provide a unique feature for the event organisers which is valued highly and provides students with a unique showcase for their work .
- UBM Live continues to invest in this innovative initiative, commissioning a new showcase for next year’s Interiors Show as a result of the positive feedback it receives from exhibitors and visitors alike.
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