Yvonne Engelmann at Ambiente 2027: “International connections don’t happen by chance”

Matchmaking has become something of a buzzword across the global trade fair landscape, but Engelmann sees it as a practical response to the pressures facing businesses. Ambiente’s advantage, she argues, is the international breadth of both its exhibitors and visitors. Frankfurt attracts a wide range of decision makers, from architecture and planning practices to hotel groups, hospitality companies, furniture and home furnishing retailers and international trading businesses. Names such as HPP Architekten, Ippolito Fleitz Group, Marriott International, Hilton, Wayfair and Harrods Group illustrate the breadth of the audience. For exhibitors, that diversity can be just as valuable as footfall. A carefully targeted introduction to an architect specifying a hotel project, a hospitality group seeking new suppliers or an international retailer exploring a new category can have far greater commercial significance than a conventional trade fair encounter. That, ultimately, is the thinking behind Ambiente’s evolving approach: less emphasis on simply being seen, and more on making the right connections.