Ambiente is now

Next year’s edition of Ambiente is taking place against the exciting backdrop of the World Design Capital 2026, and Smart Display is the partner of choice for exhibition stand design at Messe Frankfurt.

Hosted by a different city every two years, the World Design Capital has previously been celebrated in Turin, Seoul, Helsinki, Cape Town, Taipei, Mexico City, Lille, Valencia and San Diego–Tijuana, before finally arriving in Frankfurt next year. Designated by the World Design Organisation, the World Design Capital recognises cities for their effective use of design to drive economic, social and environmental development, and Ambiente is planning its most decadent event to date in line with the wider celebrations across the city.

“The Frankfurt Rhine-Main region will be a metropolis of design for the World Design Capital 2026, and I am very much looking forward to all the many large and small projects in the districts and in the region,” says Dr. Ina Hartwig, head of department of culture and science for the city of Frankfurt. “Because that is the core of WDC; using the means of design and culture to strengthen our precious democracy, which is currently more fragile than ever. With WDC 2026, Frankfurt has the unique opportunity to position itself with all its potential – as a creative, economic, but also social and sustainable city, also internationally.”

Taking place within the World Design Capital has added a whole new dimension to the forthcoming edition of Ambiente. Already the biggest event to take place at Messe Frankfurt, Ambiente is defined by style and aesthetics, and this year will see brands pull out all the stops to create an exhibition stand in keeping with the ambience of both the event and the city as a whole.

Increasingly however, exhibition stand design at Messe Frankfurt has to be a blend of aesthetics and ethics, with sustainability a key factor in contemporary stand build.

“The design of the booths is becoming more rounded; there’s more light, more LED and the big screens that you see everywhere – so more technical elements,” Ambiente’s director of dining Thomas Kastl exclusively told Smart Display during a catch up at the event earlier this year. “But in the end, it’s also about sustainability. So you don’t want a construction that is just good for one time; you want a construction that can be used three, four or five times. Then displaying the product is the same as well – most of the exhibitors do a wonderful presentation. They also serve some food and drink, so there’s integrated kitchen areas and seating areas. So it’s not like 15 years ago where you just had a table and chairs and you sat and talked business. It’s a little bit different now, and it’s good.”

Smart Display’s innovative stand design has seen the company become the partner of choice for an increasing number of UK exhibitors.

“Our most recent project with Smart Display was Ambiente 2025 and it was a successful transition from Utopia Tableware to the new Steelite-Utopia brand,” says June Billings, trade show manager at catering supplier Steelite-Utopia. “We do reuse our stand elements; this is not only cost effective but also from an environmental perspective, we will keep reusing where we can. We had to trust Smart Display a lot this year due to the new relationship bringing historical assets. Communication was brilliant and we felt that there was a great attention to detail when it came to logistics and the wider project planning. From our experience, it does help to see the same team as they are familiar with your company, brand look and feel. They can anticipate any expectations without having to go through the guidelines each time.”

Smart Display will be back in Frankfurt in February installing on behalf of UK exhibitors looking to create a striking stand presence that doesn’t end up in landfill. And, with nine months left to plan before the flagship 2026 edition of the show, now is the perfect time to get inspired with new ideas for a sustainable stand build.

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