Premierevision at Parc d’Expositions filled the last four days of our two week stint in Paris. We rented a very small but very classical apartment in the eleventh Arrondisement in Oberkampf, a very blue collar and current trendy part of the city. Bars nestled between Muslim book shops, bistros and mosques created for a lively atmosphere. We arrived at the flat in the midst of Egypt scoring three goals against Algeria in the football resulting in a balanced mixture of smiles and scowls from heaving bars airing the match! We were both pretty knackered, though maintained the determination to stretch our legs and pick up a bottle of wine to close the exhausting day off to. The flat was ideal, just enough room to swing a baguette and tailor made for a week off where we could just concentrate on the online commitments of the business. One of the best markets for food rests on the plateau at Belleville (where legend has it, Edith Piaf was born under a street lamp) and takes place every Tuesday and Friday. Discovering this bustling market with its narrow lane and endless variety of fantastic cheap foods allowed for the financial sting of Paris to be easily diluted. Having some spring like temperatures and a bit of sunshine made for a lovely first week. The city plodded along at a nice pace and the authenticity of its character was visible in the parks and down by the river banks.
On the 9th of February, the opening day of Premierevision, the relentless winter we thought we had bid adieu to in Berlin caught up with us! French cities, much like English cities become extremely puzzled when having to deal with even the slightest delivery of snow and this became apparent on the 10th with commuter chaos during the RER commute from our metro stop to the trade fair. Any organisation by SNCF simply went out the window, leaving trains full of confused fair attendants standing in the cold for hours awaiting instruction on how to complete the journey to Parc d’Expositions. Parisians, contrary to popular belief, are very polite and gracious for the most part (civil servants and bus drivers aside), but impatience knows no nationality and before long, the train platform threw down the gloves and engaged in a seeming prison rule mentality of scrambling for first placement on the better late than never buses laid on by French Rail.
Arriving at Parc d’Expositions cemented the fact that online registration for any trade fair is the only way to go. Pre-registered lines run like clock work and one can immediately begin to navigate the floors, pick up the provided necessary in print material and map out agendas from on site cafes. Our own approach was for Magdalena to address fabrics and for myself to address manufacturing. Four days is just enough time and though overwhelming in options, there was a much more casual feel to this fair than the previous one we had visited in Milan two years ago. Certain snobbery when ones brand is not immediately recognised or considered worthy of time was few and far between here and even when encountered is best taken with a pinch of salt.
All in all, pieces of the puzzle really fell into place for us during the fair and eliminated concerns and obstacles as a North American brand attempting establishment within Europe. Some truly tasty threads this way commeth!
