It’s a funny time: After more than a year of online meetings due to the pandemic, the network partners of the Furniture Future Forum (FFF) in Bünde have met in person again for a long time under the now new label- incl. strict hygiene measures with 3G and AHA rules. And many of the partners and hostess Katrin de Louw were delighted to finally meet in person again and to be able to shape the future of the Trend Forum – right next to the Küchenmeile – and to look ahead together with optimism.
Around 3-4 times a year, the network partners of the Trend and Event Forum meet to discuss the next joint projects and events. This is certainly a special challenge in pandemic times and the processes have never been so much in flux as now, when hybrid technology is still new territory for many and yet is now also becoming standard in the Furniture Future Forum. “It allows our international partners and others who are further away to join in and have a quick and uncomplicated direct exchange with the network. And yet today we noticed how intensively the network has already grown together and how nice it was to meet live again,” says Katrin de Louw, Managing Director of TRENDFILTER and initiator of the FFF. “This is, of course, a technology that is standard in conference rooms in internationally active companies and yet a challenge for this large forum, where many people sit at a distance. This needs camera technology with direction- and that is new and exciting for us.”
Vaccinated, recovered or freshly tested? The FFF is strict about who gets in. 
New catering at the Furniture Future Forum: Corona compliant in portion glasses.
The organisational side of things has also changed at the Trendforum in Bünde: No matter how long and good the business relationship is- also friends were strictly checked at the entrance, if they are vaccinated, recovered or freshly tested negative. “It’s only professional not to allow any exceptions there at the moment.” said de Louw about the currently necessary admission checks. And so also the as always excellent catering was adapted to the current hygiene regulations.
Event Möbelvisionen in November already almost booked up
The network agreed during the meeting: We will continue to make 3 large, joint appointments a year, where we invite our customers from the furniture industry, interior design companies and interior designers * to talk about furniture and furnishing of the future. However, due to the current situation, the invitation distribution list has been greatly reduced and the upcoming autumn event, the “Furniture Visions” is planned with different timeslots and a very limited number of visitors. Nevertheless, the popular event is already 2 months in advance as good as fully booked. The furniture industry has a great need for personal exchange, but also to experience materials, products and surfaces haptically and live.
Each partner company has one vote in the decisions. 
Without touching and at a distance: thanks to the good service of the technician! 
Since 2007 the Forum servicepoint A30 was called, now it has a new name, short: FFF.
The network confirms that despite digitalisation and forward-looking ways of working, the live character of the events remains at the heart of the initiative, despite the hybrid structure. Here you can experience materials and products live and with all your senses. The strong transport links, directly on the A30 motorway, in the centre of the German furniture industry in OWL remain an important factor for the direct line between customers, suppliers, designers and processors. Exciting minds and topics are also brought online to Bünde internationally, such as the futurologist Christiane Varga from Vienna, who will soon be joining us. The aim is to cover all the important international topics of the furnishing industry in Bünde: the current topics, but also the future-oriented topics in particular, and thus to continue to strengthen OWL as a furniture location.
The current network partners are:
Christian Kröger, Conal, Continental, europlac, furnipart, Hera, Kröning, Lehmann, Linak, neelsen, PaletteCAD, Pyrus Panels, Röhm, schattdecor, Sonae Arauco, SWL, VanHoecke, Westag
Other cooperating partners:
raumprobe, associations of the wood and furniture industry VDM, HS OWL, joiner guilds, interzum
The annual offer of the FFF is complemented by further events and workshops, e.g. with universities, carpenters’ guilds or on the initiative of the TRENDFILTER. Next workshop at FFF: interior innovation hub on the topic “SUSTAINABILITY- potentials for the interior” on 07.10.21. More information can be found via the following link: