Simon Jones: Trading places

Having just returned from Paris and the first Silmo trade fair in more than two years, I’d like to be able to bring some clarity on what delegate and exhibitors thought about the return of live events, but I came away from the show with more questions than answers.

Silmo itself was notably smaller in terms of how much space had been utilised. Vast black floor to ceiling drapes annexed off huge parts of halls five and six. Visitor numbers seemed markedly lower, although there were times when the event had a real hustle and bustle feel. For the organisers, that would have been a heartening sign.