This year, the USAID Trade Hub participated in full force at the largest home décor show in the world, Ambiente, in Frankfurt. We have been working for nine months to prepare for the show. Cheick Diallo, internationally recognized Malian Designer was particularly instrumental in helping artisans realize new, upscale, and market savvy designs. The hard work of designers, artisans, and the USAID Trade Hub team coalesced into one of the most striking stands in the show.
 
Elaine Bellezza, the USAID Trade Hub’s home décor sector lead said, “6:30 pm, after two days of frantic set-up, rearranging spotlights, moving furniture, clearing packing boxes, hanging paper maché animals and rearranging beautiful pottery, we swept the floor, stepped back and looked at each other in amazement. It was more beautiful than any of us anticipated. The hard work paid off. The deluge started the moment the show opened the next morning with a constant influx of wholesale buyers over the next five days. At times it felt like people were standing in line, waiting to talk to the companies.”
 
Interested buyers were from around the globe, from Austrialia to Japan, US, Russia, Peru and Norway. They included some of the largest distributors in the décor sector as well as higher end design driven companies, particularly from Italy.

See sample products from the show on the AfricaNow! website.