Feb 7, 2013

Catherine Deneuve at Ambiente in Frankfurt

French actress Catherine Deneuve will visit Ambiente, the world’s leading trade fair for the consumer-goods sector in Frankfurt am Main on 18 February. Deneuve is considered to be one of the most outstanding actresses of her generation. Still highly successful today, she has worked with directors such as Luis Buñuel, Roman Polanski, François Truffaut and Lars von Trier and could most recently be seen with her daughter Chiara Mastroianni in the 2012 film ‘Les bien-aimés’. She has been ambassador and testimonial for brands such as Chanel, L’Oréal and Yves Saint Laurent and has also designed products and collections in the high-grade consumer-goods sector. “To welcome Ms Deneuve to the world’s leading trade fair for consumer goods is a great honour for us. She is an icon of international film and French ‘savoir-vivre’. Her visit is a splendid highlight of this year’s Ambiente’, says Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt GmbH.

Ambiente is the world’s most important trade fair for the consumer-goods sector. More than 4,500 exhibitors present the latest products, innovations and trends at the international order platform. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the German-French Treaty of Friendship, Ambiente welcomes France as its Partner Country from 15 to 19 February. Within the framework of the Partner Country programme, which is being held under the motto ‘La France un art de vivre’, the world-famous, award-winning actress will visit selected French and international exhibitors during a tour of the fair. She will also visit the special presentation curated by Olivia Putman in the Foyer of Hall 4.1. Olivia Putman is Artistic Director of the renowned Studio Putman and Ambassador of the ‘Partner Country France’ project of Ambiente.

For the last part of her visit, Catherine Deneuve will take part in the Partner Country handing-over ceremony with music by French pianist and shooting star Mattias Mimoun. He will present a special programme revolving around the Partner Country idea.

The highlight of the Partner Country programme is the Partner Country Day on 18 February. Entitled ‘La Fête de la France’, it will offer a series of lectures on the French way of life, design and craftsmanship. Speakers from French companies exhibiting at Ambiente will discuss ways of combining a tradition oriented towards quality and pleasure with the demands of the global market and the modern consumer. Another focal point will be a variety of pleasurable activities presented by French exhibitors.

The Partner Country presentation within the framework of the 50th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty has been made possible by a strategic cooperation between Messe Frankfurt and UBIFRANCE, the French office for international business development.

Ambiente, the leading international trade fair
Ambiente is the leading international trade fair for products for the table, kitchen, household, giving and decorating, as well as for home and furnishing accessories. For five days at the beginning of the business year, around 4,500 exhibitors occupy 27 exhibition halls to show what consumers will be able to see in shops around the world throughout the year. However, Ambiente is a must not only for the range of products, which is unrivalled in terms of both depth and breadth. The world’s leading consumer-goods fair is also distinguished by a wide variety of events, promotional programmes for young people, trend presentations and awards ceremonies.

Note for journalists:
You will find further information about Ambiente and high-resolution photographs on the internet at www.ambiente.messefrankfurt.com/journalists.

Background information on Messe Frankfurt
Messe Frankfurt is Germany’s leading trade fair organiser, with 538* million euros in sales and 1,891* active employees worldwide. The Messe Frankfurt Group has a global network of 28 subsidiaries and approx. 50 international Sales Partners, giving it a presence for its customers in more than 150 countries. Events “made by Messe Frankfurt” take place at more than 30 locations around the globe. In 2012, Messe Frankfurt organised 109* trade fairs, of which more than half took place outside Germany.

Messe Frankfurt’s exhibition grounds, featuring 578,000 square metres, are currently home to ten exhibition halls and an adjacent Congress Center. The company is publicly owned, with the City of Frankfurt holding 60 percent and the State of Hesse 40 percent.

For more information, please visit our website at: www.messefrankfurt.com
* Preliminary numbers (2012).