A few days ago, around 30 visitors, mostly dressed in white, made representations to the Bavarian State Chancellery. The bakers, butchers and brewers from the region described their concerns and needs to Florian Herrmann (CSU). They also submitted their demands to the state minister on the occasion of the nationwide “Bread Alert” campaign – including a hardship fund for companies that are making losses due to the rise in energy prices.
The protest of the bakers is symptomatic of the current mood in the trade. Almost all sectors have been struggling with the shortage of skilled workers for a long time; In addition, there are currently high energy costs. And last but not least, there is a great deal of uncertainty among a number of companies as to how inflation and rising prices will affect the desire to buy.
In short, there is a gloomy mood in the trades in many places – which doesn’t go with Dieter Dohr’s mood at all. Because the managing director of the Gesellschaft für Handwerksmessen (GHM) is, according to his own statement, “incredibly happy” and “full of anticipation” when he looks to the coming Wednesday. Then, after a two-year forced break due to the pandemic, Heim+Handwerk and Food & Life, which is taking place at the same time, will start at the Munich exhibition center, and several bakeries will also be exhibiting there.
Here protest and fears about the future, there good mood and glittering products: From Dieter Dohr’s point of view, this is not a contradiction in terms. “I think that the trade fair is also a sign right now,” says the GHM boss, “that we are looking to the future with courage and optimism.”
It sounds similar with Franz Xaver Peteranderl, who is not only Chairman of the GHM Supervisory Board, but also President of the Chamber of Crafts for Munich and Upper Bavaria (HWK). “It’s high time that the visitors went out there again and experienced the products live, felt them, touched them and also tried them at Food & Life,” emphasizes the building contractor from Garching. “A trade fair like this cannot replace video or surfing the Internet. Strolling through the exhibition is an experience.”
Heim+Handwerk: Five exhibition halls with around 600 exhibitors
With a view to the mood in the trades, Peteranderl doesn’t want to sugarcoat anything. “Rising interest rates, high energy costs and falling demand do not exactly make it easy for companies to do business,” emphasizes the HWK President. He therefore calls for relief from politicians for companies, but also for consumers – “to secure the purchasing power of customers”.
From Wednesday to Sunday, Heim+Handwerk and Food & Life will also show what the current situation is. Around 600 exhibitors present their products from the areas of living and furnishing as well as food and drink in five exhibition halls – far fewer than the 1000 companies three years ago. It was “very difficult” to restart the trade fair after the pandemic-related break, admits GHM Managing Director Dieter Dohr. “Some exhibitors also disappeared from the market during Corona.”
Accordingly, this year’s Heim+Handwerk is a “restart” – and at an unusual location. Unlike in the past, this time the trade fair can be reached via the east entrance. Tickets for visitors cost 15 euros, two euros more than in 2019.
Two manufacturers of tiny houses show how life works in the smallest of spaces
The “Greenstyle” area, in which 25 manufacturers present sustainable fashion – such as scarves made from recycled cashmere wool made in Nepal – is represented for the first time at Heim+Handwerk. A number of start-ups have also dedicated themselves to the topic of sustainability and are presenting, for example, a vegan gravy or a pesto in tab form at Food & Life in a separate area for newly founded companies.
Meanwhile, the most recent crises – keyword energy, keyword Corona – have also left their mark on Heim+Handwerk. A number of companies will show solutions for saving energy in their own homes. In addition, two manufacturers of tiny houses will demonstrate what life in a confined space can look like. And then there is another exhibitor who – in line with the home office trend – advertises with the slogan: “Working in the hammock”.
Will all of this attract more than 120,000 people like in 2019? The organizers do not want to make any predictions on this question. “We are certainly not where we were before the pandemic,” says Dieter Dohr. And yet he is convinced: “We are doing something good with this trade fair” – and that in difficult times.