Show Spotting: SURTEX 2012

SURTEX 2012 was a phenomenal success! With more than 6,000 attendees (art buyers and licensors) visiting the Show in New York City between May 20-22, exhibitors from around the world were thrilled to conduct more business than they had in the past few years. That should bode well for everyone, as SURTEX tends to be ahead of the curve in many ways. 

Attendees and exhibitors at SURTEX 2012 were in for some good news: 
more business than in recent years

Many designs were bought for all kinds of end-uses, from fabrics, wallpapers, and floorcoverings, to gift wrap, tabletop, fashion and children's products. Add the tremendous amount of artwork that will be licensed for the same, plus greeting cards, puzzles, games, consumer goods and so much more ... and you get the picture. That means a tremendous amount of new product will be developed to meet increasing demand!

So what were the trends? Many!!! Color still dominates—in unique combinations—and design themes were varied from Retro, classic with a twist, geometrics in all different scales, animals (sophisticated) like peacocks, and other birds, evergreen florals, and all kinds of graphic treatments. It was refreshing to see so much creativity!

In addition to all the design-driven exhibits at SURTEX, a new Show feature that drew attendees from everywhere was the SURTEX Trend Theatre. Nine world-renowned trend forecasting companies shared their visions through daily trend presentations—both macro and micro. Incredible imagery and commentary captivated the audience six times per day! And if that wasn't enough inspiration, the Conference Program energized and educated newcomers to the design industry, as well as veterans. From licensing know-how, legal savvy, and digital opportunities, industry gurus presented a vast amount of valuable information.   

For me, the three days were incredible, watching the ongoing business activity and knowing that so many surface designs will be transformed into products for 2013 and beyond. If you didn't make it to SURTEX 2012, mark your calendars now for May 19-21, 2013! 


- by Penny Sikalis, Vice President, GLM