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Stockholm was cold with a thick layer of snow which looked beautiful and caused little in the way of disruption. Quite why this show is held in the coldest month of the year in a city which many think has rather greater charm in the summer is a mystery that even the locals can’t answer. Sweden’s buildings are all well designed for winter and shut out the cold very effectively; perhaps rather too well in some cases, because overheating can be a problem. The city’s cosy bars and restaurants weren't busy and visitors were welcomed enthusiastically. The hearty Swedish food is more in tune with winter, especially when washed down with a glass or two of the fiery Aquavit. The Stockholsmässen exhibition centre at Älvsjö is well served by comfortable, fast trains from the city centre and as you'd expect, it is modern, conventional and well arranged for the first time visitor, who can find his way about without difficulty. The show was held in three halls, quaintly named Alder, Birch and Cedar. In previous years, office, contract and residential furniture were displayed separately but this year, there seemed to be little in the way of such helpful organisation which meant that visitors interested in only one product sector had to walk further and see much more irrelevant product than should have been necessary. It was said to be as a reflection of the increased crossover of the types of product but if a visitor has only a limited amount of time available – and most do – this lack of discipline in planning layout is unhelpful and smacks of laziness. Most trade shows feature the big names with their big stands at the front of the halls but as the intrepid visitor works his way through each hall, quality declines until at the very back, he finds only the “also rans” – frequently the far eastern cheap and nasties. This show however, with its overwhelmingly Scandinavian influence, showed a consistency of design and manufacturing quality which meant the visitor needed to walk all of every aisle or risk missing some gems. There were some exhibitors from outside the region, but proportionately very few. Three or four German companies, a handful of Italian and Spanish but what this show was really all about was a brilliant celebration of the best of outstanding Scandinavian design. Some names one recognised, but there were many, many more that were quite unknown. Some of the companies, with beautiful, original displays of the highest quality products were really very small in international terms. How can companies with sales levels of just three or four million Euros afford to put on the show they did? A massive and risky commitment. For the visitor, it was almost overwhelming. Such style; so much innovation. No chance of being bored with repetitiveness. Everywhere one turned, there was yet another previously unknown company presenting their solution to an organisational, acoustic or aesthetic issue. And with such verve! Such self-confidence. Most of the stands were not, of themselves, massively expensive. They were however invariably imaginatively designed and thought provoking. Quotations and bylines – always in English of course – were liberally splattered about and graphic images were often bold, attractive and eye catching.