"Seriously, be careful round here, this area is super dangerous." Words of comfort from our taxi driver as he pulled a government-worthy U-turn to flee this apparent crime hub and speed off into the night. We stood outside the hotel that was to house us for the next forty-eight hours, sat starkly across from the strip club and a generous stone's throw from the Sex Inn, on what we now know (through hearsay and experience) to be a reputationally rough street in the shadow of Frankfurt train station. Not all business trips can be business class. All the same, Point 6 had arrived.
The reasons for our trip were twofold: (1) Attend Light + Building, a biennial lighting trade show in Germany, where we could pick up industry trends and potentially bring them back to our client, the world leader in lighting, Signify. (2) To (finally) meet up with another of our clients, Landbell Group, in person and prove that we were more than just the floating virtual heads the last five+ years of our interactions would suggest. And despite the sleazy setting of our sleeping establishment, the trip proved to be a roaring success.
First came Light + Building. For those that don't know, Light + Building is the world's leading trade fair and an international meeting place for manufacturers from the lighting, electrical engineering, home and building automation, and connected security technology sectors. This year's event was taking place in person once again, having gone virtual through the years of the you-know-what. Some of the leading players—our client included—chose not to attend this time around, but we saw it as a healthy chance to scope out some of the competition and trends all the same.
A lot of the exhibition this year focused on intelligent and connected solutions. This was to be expected, with digitalisation and the Internet of Things (IoT) continuing to integrate with lighting in increasingly game-changing ways. It's clear that customers have come to expect wholesale connectivity— that is easily manageable—across their devices. Whether it's at home, in the office, in stores, industrial facilities, or even on city streets, solutions that streamline efficiency and embrace the best in technology whilst remaining consumer-friendly and cost-effective are always going to find a market. We're happy to work with the best.
After the show, we hopped on the tram to Mainz for a long overdue in-person catch-up with Raffaela, Konstanze and Steffen from Landbell Group. They showed us around their wonderful offices that overlook a sea of autumnal trees in one direction and the stunning spire of Mainz Cathedral in the other (not to mention their very own rooftop garden coming into bloom). The team couldn't have been more friendly or welcoming; an evergreen reminder that doing good business with good people is always a rewarding endeavour. We discussed a whole range of topics—some work, some not—and it really felt like we were catching up with long lost friends. If we weren't all mates before, we certainly were by the end (you may not get that reference, but they do). They even gifted us some chocolate, a sure-fire way to earn a place in our hearts.
Then came the evening. On the back of a recommendation from our mates at Landbell, we headed to a traditional German dinner hall in Frankfurt, and it didn't disappoint. Long wooden tables, free-flowing beer, a cavalcade of sausages and schnitzel—all par for the course in an evening of Germanic gastronomic delights.
Eventually we meandered back towards our hotel, full-bellied and fuzzy-eyed. As glittering lights danced off the ripples of the Rhine beside us, stretching like a watered highway all the way to horizon, it became easy to understand a statement Raffaela and the Landbell team had made earlier in the day: Frankfurt isn't the kind of city you fall in love with at first sight. But it is the kind of city you fall in love with at second…
