I will begin by stating that I attended only two of them—Tokyo and Madrid. As I have often said on these pages and even in the printed publication Shumi-no Bungubako (趣味の文具箱), they are two primary examples of the basic models of pen shows—the Western and the East Asian. And they went as expected: plenty of stationery in Tokyo and a strong presence of vintage pens in Madrid. Both were successful events.
In Tokyo, about 150 dealers attracted over 3,000 visitors in three days (entry fees ranged from JPY 1,000—about EUR 6—to JPY 3,000 per day, or JPY 5,000 for a three-day pass; table fee: JPY 40,000, or EUR 225). Everything looked business as usual. The formula is well established, and it works. Limited as it is in the vintage and used pen area, TIPS has the merit of attracting small companies to display their goods to a mildly international audience. The only drawback might be the relatively small number of visitors compared to the large number of dealers, as well as the proliferation of similar events in Tokyo. The good part? The exhibition area is never crowded.
TIPS 2025.
In Madrid, over 1,500 visitors attended an event with around 60 dealers (free entry; EUR 360 per table). However, attendance figures in Madrid must be taken with a pinch of salt, as a free-access event makes accurate counting more difficult.
Still, the Madrid Pen Show showed some signs of exhaustion, as if that model had already reached its full potential and could only decline from here. The reasons are both circumstantial and structural.
Madrid has become a very expensive city, and for the first time in years the organisers are reporting some losses. The cost of the city also deterred many regulars from attending the event—accommodation, some said, was prohibitively expensive. But the main problem is the age of the regular attendee. We are old, and there is hardly a younger generation of aficionados ready to take over and generate the necessary demand.
Madrid Pen Show 2025.
Madrid, I believe, is at a crossroads—the formula that has worked for 21 editions may no longer be the right one in 2025. And the way out of this situation might be found in Istanbul.
Pen Fest Istanbul, now in its fourth edition, showed some remarkable numbers: 63 dealers and about 8,000 visitors in just two days (entry fee: TRY 500—EUR 10; table fee: TRY 40,000—EUR 800).
But what is more interesting from the outside is the combination of the two basic pen show models in a single event. As we can see in Miroslav Tichsler’s video, Istanbul offered new and old pens, stationery, pen fixers, and nib tuners—an exciting mix indeed.
Penkala´s video of the 2025 Pen Fest Istanbul.
Istanbul, at the crossroads between Europe and Asia, might very well represent the future of pen shows: the sweet spot between the declining Western tradition and the rising force of the Eastern aficionado.
Hongdian N6 Long Knife– Platinum Black
Bruno Taut
December 3rd, 2025
etiquetas: evento, mercado, Madrid, Tokyo, Istanbul
Bruno Taut
December 3rd, 2025
etiquetas: evento, mercado, Madrid, Tokyo, Istanbul
2 comments:
Excelente e incisiva crónica, muchas gracias.
Sólo conozco el Salón de Madrid y raramente puedo aprovecharlo a lo largo de sus tres jornadas. Sin embargo, la impresión que tengo en los últimos años es que va decayendo. Por favor, no se me malinterprete, el solo hecho de que se celebre en Madrid un evento así es motivo de celebración y de agradecimiento a sus organizadores, que hacen un excelente e impagable trabajo. Sin embargo, desde que hace dos años se dispuso como local ese "hangar" en Chamartín, creo que el público asistente no se siente cómodo y se cansa de mirar en poco rato. La distribución de las mesas junto con una pésima iluminación, que se manifiesta sobre todo al caer la tarde, hacen del lugar más una zona de paso que un espacio de disfrute y recreación. No sé si un cambio de local sería suficiente para dar nuevo aliento a la Feria de Madrid, pero estoy persuadido de que al menos sería su condición necesaria. Por otra parte, como suele ser habitual en tus crónicas, hay que atenerse a los inexcusables datos. Si comparamos Madrid con Estambul, las cartas están marcadas y Madrid no tiene opciones. Estambul cobra la entrada al público (10 euros por cabeza), en Madrid es gratis. Si multiplicamos unos 8.000 asistentes por 10 euros, nos sale la cifra aproximada de 80.000 euros de ventaja para Estambul. Añadamos a eso que Estambul cobra unos 800 euros por mesa, que multiplicado por 60 expositores hace la suma de 48.000 euros. En total, Estambul se financia con 128.000 euros. Y esto sin contar con el dinero de patrocinadores y posibles subvenciones estatales, lo que hace del evento una apuesta segura. Frente a esto, Madrid cobra 360 euros por mesa, que multiplicado por 60 expositores hace la suma de 21.600 euros. Y sin ninguna subvención estatal, comunitaria y/o municipal, al menos que yo conozca. Con estos números es casi milagroso que Madrid sea una de las Ferias de estilográficas más importantes del mundo, lo que me lleva a pensar que este evento sólo sale adelante por el entusiasmo y voluntarismo de unos pocos, con Alfonso Mur en la cabeza. Tengamos en cuenta también que el modelo que imita Madrid son las Ferias Norteamericanas, donde las Casas de estilográficas actuales tienen poca o nula presencia. En el vídeo de Estambul he visto zonas reservadas a Montblanc y Faber-Castell, no son malos padrinos. Y, según me comentaba una buena amiga, en Madrid había aumentado la presencia de plumas modernas, en detrimento de las antiguas. Pero, añado yo, sin el patrocinio de estas Casas.
Mis humildes propuestas para Madrid:
a) Que se cambie de local.
b) Que se cobre la entrada al público.
c) Que se pida una subvención municipal, que el Ayuntamiento se implique financieramente. Al menos, aportando el local del evento y haciendo publicidad del mismo.
d) Que se eleve el precio por mesa.
e) Que se fije claramente el perfil del evento, es decir, o volver a un predominio de plumas antiguas o apostar por las modernas e involucrar a la grandes marcas actuales, o, en fin, combinar ambas posibilidades, como en Estambul, pero aprovechando las ventajas de ambas propuestas.
f) Que me doy cuenta que quienes organizan el evento posiblemente han pensado en todo lo que propongo. Y que, si acaso, hubieran llegado a la conclusión de que nada de lo que digo es viable, pedirles que sigan organizando esta feria por muchos años y que, como sea, siga adelante. Como aficionado, me siento afortunado y agradecido por su esfuerzo sostenido en el tiempo.
Un abrazo, Bruno Taut.
Interesting comments. Even more detailed points than your earlier comments on how to create a fountain pen show. At our last Honolulu Fountain Pen Club, we had a talk by a local member who volunteered for TIPS. It was a very interesting report, especially since she showed how much is involved in organizing the event. It gave me even more respect for those who put on any kind of show.
The letter you included by Waterman 13 raised good points about the importance of state subsidies (which I assume are not an option in Japan), and the role of sponsor control over the type of show really show the impact of what kind of show one gets.
I understand the wish to bring more people to a free show (possibly closer to the crowds of a video I saw for the Bungu Joshi-Haku), but think they may have a good balance since they now seem to have a few vintage shops and events. If I was to go, I imagine I might miss the social aspects (after hour pen talk...) and seminars... but am not sure if that would be so popular in Japan. Even the fun Wagner events with real vintage otaku do not seem to end up in group lunches or dinners. Cultures are different, and I imagine the Japanese want to get home before having to carry things home on a crowded train (unless they use Kuroneko). I think Japanese fountain pen people are a bit more shy perhaps. It is different from the camera / photography events I attend when in Japan. Different hobbies / different social norms perhaps.
In any case thanks for another year of los Cronicas. Have a good holidays and a great 2026!
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