Now with the inaugural FRONT show over, the real value and impact of this unique event is being felt across the industry.

Nowhere more so is this value being felt than from those that attended the FRONT seminar series-consisting of both CPD-accruing seminars and also those with a more holistic focus.

“I’ve been to trade shows from Frankfurt to New York to New Zealand, and I haven’t been to a trade show that’s been as well-focused,” says Tony Creighton, sales and business development manager at Stormtech.

Overall, in terms of numbers, around 2000 attendees checked into the event over the two- day period with more than 950 people attending a CPD talk or seminar session over two days, while 320 people attended the opening night reception.

The seminars, proudly supported by Gaggenau, covered areas such as Strategising for Success, Design Entrepreneur, Cheque, Please! Food, Finance, and Front of House, In Conversation presented by Crown Group, Agility vs ABW presented by Steelcase and The Bottom Line at the Frontline.

According to Indesign content writer and attendee Patricia Arcilla, the seminar series is perhaps the best she has been attended recently.

“The FRONT Forum seminar series went beyond the traditional topics and ‘usual suspects’ of design events to deliver a lively, diverse program that provided fresh insights into the future of commercial design”

“Bringing together leading thinkers and doers from all corners of the commercial space, FRONT Forum gave experts in design, hospitality, technology, real estate, and workplace consultancy – to name a few – a unique platform to share their knowledge and experience,” says Arcilla.

"It was a pleasure to present to the FRONT attendees at the Tarkett Symposium; these were people who understood the balance of quality, design, sustainability and economy and who wanted to find out how the sustainability narrative has changed - and is changing faster than ever,” says Robin Mellon, CEO of the Supply Chain Sustainability School.

“The Supply Chain Sustainability School already works with many of the leaders in this industry, so I was particularly impressed at the event format, location and design, and look forward to the next FRONT," he says.

Indesign Media CEO and founder Raj Nandan says that, “The FRONT model works by facilitating conversation and discussion and encouraging this approach of ‘let’s sit down and you can show me what you’ve got.”

“Foremost was our focus on caring about who you actually met before the event and nurturing the relationship-building process,” he says.