Articles
Many new resources at Team Formland
arrow_backTo the overview18 April 2023
- Focus on sustainability
- Lighting
- Shop furniture
- Design
- Fashion & accessories
- Gallery
- Food & drink
- Garden & outdoor
- Seasonal products
- Hobby & Leisure
- Bath
- Kitchen & tableware
- Consultancies
- Paint
- Furniture
- Home textiles
- Home accessories
- Branding supplies
A lot of new people have joined Team Formland in the recent years, which means new initiatives and new ideas. Here you will be introduced to the team behind Formland.
"At Formland, you are a central part of a traditional event whose greatest characteristic is that it is always evolving. For instance, we evolve with new exhibitor groups and concepts such as our Communities, Trendzones and cafés. That's why Formland is now going into its 36th year." says Maja H. Poulsen, Formland Project Sales.
The last few years have brought many upheavals and great uncertainty. They have turned many things upside down and created many frustrating experiences. In the trade fair industry, this meant, among other things, an inevitable cancellation. But some good has also come out of it: Formland has found new people, held on to the old ones and put together a strong new team to ensure Formland's relevance and continued development.
The brightest salespeople
No trade fair team without salespeople. Salespeople are an indispensable part of the team. Each salesperson has their own areas of focus and responsibilities to suit each exhibition hall. The salespeople are the ones who negotiate contracts with exhibitors. They are the ones who find the right solution and location for a given brand, and they are the ones who are first in line when it comes to talking to exhibitors, because an exhibition stand is not just an exhibition stand, and the salespeople know this better than most.
The four salespersons who make sure that the Formland exhibition halls are fully occupied are:
Maja H. Poulsen, project sales
Maja H. Poulsen has been part of Team Formland since November 2021 and is working on getting Hall D and Hall H filled up with Interior and lifestyle brands and Hall M with dining exhibitors.
She has been employed in the clothing industry for many years but has also experienced the fair as an exhibitor through previous employment with Bloomingville, which gives her a unique insight into what future exhibitors need.
"We have a really strong collaboration and team spirit - and that's the general attitude of the entire Messecenter Herning. So many different functions have to work together to make sure that the fairs are ready for opening. These include sales, construction in and of the halls, the hall masters and cleaning. This creates a special culture with good collegiality and teamwork across work areas, where everyone helps each other to reach the goal," Maja says.
Hanne L. Jensen, project sales
Hanne L. Jensen has been part of Formland since August 2021. She is a versatile sales representative who targets several halls. She represents Hall F, where you'll find the One exhibitors, but also Hall J1 with interior and lifestyle brands, Hall J3 with seasonal products, and Hall K, where the Garden is located.
We asked Hanne what she thinks is the best part of her job once the fair is up and running.
"You can see what the team has been working on for a long time. Our work comes together and everything is so impressive. Everything is decorated and I can walk around and talk to the exhibitors I've been in contact with. As our top executive, Georg Sørensen puts it: "The personal meeting style will never cease to be worthwhile," and he is absolutely right," Hanne replies.
Kasper Mølhede, project sales
Kasper Mølhede is a versatile sales representative who has been part of team Formland since June 2022. Kasper is responsible for the Fashion & Lifestyle, and Taste and Furniture halls.
For Kasper, organising the fairs is the highlight of his job.
"The actual organisation of the fair is really something special. Everything you have worked on for the past 6 months really comes to life over 3 days with plenty of kilometres of walking, happy people and lots of good chats with the exhibitors. The weeks leading up to and during the fair consist of some really long days, but that's clearly also when it all peaks," Kasper says.
Esben V. Christensen, project sales
Esben V. Christensen has been affiliated with Formland on a consultancy basis since 2020. Esben has a background in the furniture industry and thus has a strong network and unique knowledge of the industry. Under the auspices of Formland, Esben helps find the right exhibitors for Hall G, the furniture hall, and the new Outdoor area in Hall M.
"For me, it's really a dream come true to help create a trade fair that embraces not only the entire furniture industry but also brings together interiors, design and all other products for the home. This will make it possible for all types of retailers who sell products for the home to have one venue where all the suppliers are present," Esben says.
Meet the day-to-day operations
The team that keeps the Formland wheels turning on a daily basis is a set-up of two coordinators: the project manager and the Head of Design.
Natelie Nielsen, project coordinator
Natelie Nielsen has been part of Team Formland since October 2021, holding the title of project coordinator and performing a wide range of tasks.
Natelie is the facilitator of the new venture, Circular Formland Days, a collaboration with the Lifestyle & Design Cluster, which had its debut at the 2023 Spring fair. Natelie is also the go-to woman in the collaboration with Danske Dekoratører (Danish Decorators), who have an important presence at the fair as an advisory unit for the exhibitors.
One of her most essential tasks is liaising with exhibitors once they have signed the contract. She also manages Formland's presence on the social media channels.
"For me, the most fun part of the job is anything involving social media. I'm very creative, so I love producing videos, making graphic set-ups and communicating creatively - both visually and in writing. In addition, I love planning, which is why the larger project tasks appeal to me. I am motivated by responsibility, which is why I also find an assignment like Circular Formland Days very exciting," Natelie explains.
Line Marie Jørgensen, project coordinator
Line Marie Jørgensen is the newest player on the team. She joined as project coordinator in October 2022, and the 2023 Spring fair was her first fair as an employee at Formland.
Her work area is generally visitor-orientated and covers a versatile palette of tasks. Line Marie Jørgensen keeps the website updated and continuously adapted, and writes news updates through the newsletter and press releases to the media. In addition, she organises advertising on carefully selected platforms.
Line Marie is also involved in the planning and organisation of the Greenhouse in cooperation with GASA. But she also handles more low-tech tasks such as organising ticket sales, accreditation and lunch for the press during the fairs.
"My favourite tasks include the communication towards the visitors of the fair, everything from newsletters to ensuring a wide range of news on the website, to offering a good user experience. In addition, I find collaborating with partners on exhibition zones and concepts a fun part of my job," Line Marie says.
Charlotte Hedegaard Johannesen, Head of Design department
With an employment contract dating back to 1994, Charlotte Hedegaard Johannesen is the team's most experienced player. Back then, Formland was owned by Unit Messer, and MCH was responsible for the physical organisation. Formland and Unit Messer merged with MCH in 2004, and since then Charlotte has worked as part of Team Formland - but always behind the scenes.
Among other things, Charlotte works with tasks related to development and concepts at the trade fair. In the latest project, she developed the concept for the Fashion hall. She has also developed the concept for Imerco City, which has been part of Formland for many years. This concept will be expanded this year to include the entire hardware industry so that the fair ensures a higher degree of sustainability and keeps up with current trends.
"The best part of my job is meeting a lot of brilliant people who work passionately in an industry where you have to be able to navigate in a constantly changing environment. I also love working with structure and expression in shapes and colours that are out of the ordinary - it's a fantastic playground," Charlotte concludes.
Flemming Andersen, project manager
As the project manager of Formland, Flemming's primary task is to maintain an overview of budgets, sales, planning, and marketing. Flemming also has a say in both internal and external collaborators, and one of his most important tasks is to ensure the ongoing renewal and development of Formland as a platform.
"The best thing about my job is the versatility I experience in my workday. I never know the content until the end of the day,"
