Back to the future a PSI
A museum of merchandise aims to inspire in Dusseldorf.
This year’s PSI show is set to include a historic look at promotional merchandise in the form of a Museum of Promotional Articles.
PSI and its partner, Cybergroup International, has been collaborating with leading European associations to produce a pop-up exhibition that is intended to inspire people across Europe.
The 170m2 pop-up exhibition ‘MoPA Museum of Promotional Articles’ invites visitors to take a journey through the past, present and future of promotional products.
Under the motto ‘Tradition meets Transformation’, 11 time capsules show how the promotional item was created, where it originated, what its original purpose was and what the future of this marketing tool could look like.
Cybergroup CEO Steven Baumgaertner, said the goal is to curate a globally unique collection that recognises the history and complexity of the industry.
“It’s about the synthesis of the most important contemporary witnesses since the beginning, which were sometimes always seen as evidence of a period of civilisation: sacrifices, election campaigns, advertising, branding or employee recruitment and retention are all art forms in applied arts and all crafts locked in,” he said.
A six-person team from Cybergroup International has been working for 12 months to bring the history of the promotional product to life. Research was carried out all over the world, looking for unique pieces and linking up with other museums in order to curate a unique exhibition.
The MoPA app, developed by partner Musivus, provides an interactive digital museum guide with images, stories, films and sound to accompany the exhibition.
PSI, which runs from 9-11 January in Dusseldorf, is set to have 565 exhibitors this year.
Special sections of the show are dedicated to finishing technologies, edible promotions, and textiles, among other topics.
Trade visitors will be able to witness finishing options including UV printing, embroidery, laser engraving and various textile printing processes.
For more information about PSI, go to psi-messe.com.
