Annie Pate: “This event brought our suppliers together in one place”

What motivated you to participate in In The City?

Amélie Saule: Annie Pate, my mother, and myself, represent several very high-end brands, which range from furnishing fabrics to lighting, furniture and materials for decor, such as stone, parquet, etc. We regularly offer bespoke services for decorators. Maison&Objet In The City was perfect for our business, because all the fields related to fine Parisian craftmanship were represented within this event. 

What were you presenting?

AS: Agents from four leading brands set up shop in our space during this event: Bruder, a marvelous Belgian textile maker, Austrian artisanal lighting specialists Kaia Lighting, the Brits from Yarn Collective, a textile maker, and Lance Woven Leather, a manufacturer of woven leather. The atmosphere was truly pan-European! The showroom had been rearranged, with new concepts for curtains, specially upholstered seating and lovely piles of woven-leather pillows. 

How did these six days go for you? 

AS: Each agent had invited their own contacts. We were visited by many French, but also international interior designers, particularly many Spaniards, Americans and Belgians. We naturally hosted a very cheerful cocktail party on Wednesday evening. It was truly wonderful to see each other again, at long last. Feedback was very positive from our highly selective market segment, in terms of the quality of our choices, which are timeless and classic. 

What is your feeling overall about this initiative?

AS: The number-one aspect of this event was that it brought together our suppliers. In the evening, we would all go out on the town. Real synergies emerged from this, and some went to see specifiers together to drop off samples, and in the end, decided to work together with the same clients. They all complement each other and are certainly not competitors. Secondly, I appreciated the attention that the In The City team paid to the challenges we face, and the way they highlighted us on social media.