On Route

Come Fall and my time for pen shows starts. Paris, Tokyo, and finally Madrid.

From Friday 15th to Sunday 17th, the Madrid Pen Show will take place at Centro de Negocios MEEU (Calle Agustín de Foxá 40, 28036 Madrid; in the Chamartín Station Complex). In there, around 70 dealers and an enthusiastic pen community will gather around pens and inks.

And I am just starting my journey to attend the event. Say hello if you happened to be there.

Lotus Maharaja with Custom Nib Studio nib – Private Reserve Dakota Red

Bruno Taut
November 10th, 2024
etiquetas: evento, Madrid

Mr. Niikura

Today I woke up to very sad news: Mr. Niikura has passed away. He was 84 years old.

Mr. Niikura teaching at a Wagner meeting in 2010.

Yes, Mr. Pilot is no longer with us, and his generosity providing information on Pilot and on Japanese pens in general is forever gone.

I had the immense luck of sharing many pen meetings with him, and I owe him a great deal of all I know about pens. That, I think, could be said by many of whose attending those reunions, where Mr. Niikura shared his knowledge and expertise after a life working for Pilot.

You will be missed, Mr. Niikura.

Sit tibi terra levis.

Pilot Grandee Urushi – Pilot Blue

Bruno Taut
November 2nd, 2024
label: Pilot, evento

Paris 2024

But not the Olympic Games--the Paris Pen Show.

Last weekend (October 5th and 6th), the first Paris Pen Show was celebrated at the Hôtel de l'industrie. It was a two-day event, organized by Stylographie, a magazine on the matter.

The Pen Show attracted over 30 dealers and about 800 visitors, although this official figure is questioned by a number of dealers and visitors. The total available space was 270 square meters divided in two lounges.

This decision, two different spaces, caused some problems. A number of aficionados, and even some organizers, were not aware of the smaller exhibition area with just half a dozen dealers. But at the same time, the bigger lounge lacked light and became crowded hampered by the narrow circulation areas in between dealers.

Then, how was this event? One more pen show is always good news, but good wishes are not enough for it to succeed.

Paris, always attractive, is also unbelievably expensive, this creates a number of obstacles  for all the parties involved—expensive hotels, expensive meals, expensive transportation...

Attracting visitors is never easy—you must organize the event, advertise it, and then... cross your fingers. Making it a paying event –EUR 10 per day, EUR 20 for early admission on Saturday-- filters some uninterested public, but also reduces the capability to reach newer and younger aficionados, and the current demographic of the European stylophile is far from being young.

800 visitors, then, is not a bad figure, but as mentioned before, some dealers were skeptical about it. And on top of that, the volume of business was not what some expected. Not enough visitors? Expensive pens? Mismatched supply and demand? Who knows...

This Pen Show was good news, but more work needs to be done.

Jinhao Dadao 9019 – Montblanc Irish Green

Bruno Taut
October 10th, 2024
labels: evento, París

Madrid 2023

During the weekend between November 10^th and 12^th, the 19^th edition of the Madrid Pen Show took place at the Meliá Castilla hotel. And as it is already customary (::1::, ::2::, ::3::, etc.) I will offer my reflections on the event.

This 2023 edition was celebrated one weekend before the usual schedule –the 3^rd weekend in November— because of a chronic problem—the difficulties to find a hotel in Madrid in November with a large enough salon (about 700 m²). And on this occasion, the organizers had to settle with what was available—a nice hotel (and known from the 2021 event) with a big enough salon, but at a wrong date.

And the wrong date came with a number of issues. First, it was a long weekend in Madrid and many locals decided to leave the city. Then, an important football match was celebrated on Saturday evening in the neighborhood of the hotel. Finally, a number of political demonstrations –with occasional bouts of violence— took place in Madrid on those days.

The result? About 30-40% lower attendance than in previous editions. And that meant a lower amount of money in circulation.

Photo courtesy of JMBS.

On the positive side, the mere size of the event remained untouched—about 65 traders, including some new faces coming from Ireland, Greece, India, Japan... And the available space was also enough for a pleasant experience. Of course, the lower attendance also helped on this regard. However, one of the two rooms of the event lacked some light, a detail noticed by both dealers and visitors.

I hope the problems experienced on this 2023 edition could be solved in 2024, as I also hope for a long and prosperous life of the Madrid Pen Show. Nevertheless, the average age of visitors is not a good omen, and that is a most fundamental problem.

Jinhao Dadao 9019 – Montblanc Irish Green

Bruno Taut
December 3^rd, 2023
etiquetas: evento, Madrid

Timber! Timber! TIPS 2023

The 2023 Tokyo International Pen Show (TIPS) took place during the first weekend of November 3rd to 5th, and it´s time to reflect on it and on the new trends in the market. Needless to say, what I might write is just my perception and I am sure I am missing many other movements.

First, the pen show in itself. 3 days, 180 tables, five shifts to attend it, most of them sold out. The figures clearly speak of a big success. It might not be what you expect from a pen show, but this East Asian style pen show does work, and, best of all, attracts younger generations of stationery aficionados.

And that because, as I have repeatedly said, TIPS is not a pen show but a stationery fair where many vendors simply display their latest products. More on this later.

The shift system –you pay to enter the show during a limited period of just four hours, morning or afternoon- is one of the unfortunate aftereffects of the pandemic years. What initially was a good idea to limit the number of people at the lounge at once and thus limiting the risk of infection is now an excuse to increase the total number of visitors and the revenue associated to selling tickets. The downside of it is easy to understand—this fair is not a meeting point for aficionados but just a market place where you better rush to see it all and to execute your purchases.

On this occasion, 2023, the large number of vendors –180- pushed the organizers to use two lounges on two different floors in the building. Moving between them could be very easy, but the organizers decided to make it difficult and unpleasant despite giving you a paper bracelet as soon as you entered the fair. It looked like they did not trust their own controlling mechanisms. But do not ask difficult questions...

So, what was on offer at TIPS 2023? More of the same things we saw on previous years: very few second hand and vintage pens, many more new pens, inks, paper, assorted paraphernalia...

Assortted paraphernalia...

However, I could see some new trends:

1. Timber, timber, timber! It seems wood lathes are on sale and the number of people making wooden pens –fountain pens, ball pens, mechanical pencils-- was surprising. But, is the market big enough for so many operations?

Timber! Timber!

2. Emerging markets. TIPS was a success in previous years and some see this event as a good stage to present new companies and new products. In previous years we saw some European and American traders. This year, we also saw dealers from India, PR China and Turkey.

An Indian trader--Endless.

3. Urushi might be from East Asia, but now it is everywhere. And by urushi I also mean urushi-based decorative techniques. At TIPS 2023 we could see some interesting examples of urushi and raden decorated pens made in India and in Turkey.

Urushi-nuri and raden from Turkey.

Conclusions:

– The TIPS model –a stationery fair- works and is here to stay. Its ability to attract younger aficionados is a powerful argument to support this event in the years to come. Pens might not be the argument to attract them, but it does not matter as long as they come.

– New trends come and go. Wooden pens and urushi-decorated pens might be fashionable now, but everything can change overnight.

– Look out for products and companies coming from emerging markets as they will pose a very serious competition to well established companies.

Would I come again? Not sure. I always end up disappointed, but it is a good place to find out what is going on in the world of stationery.

Moonman A2 - Diamine Bilberry

Bruno Taut
November 8th, 2023
etiquetas: mercado, evento, Tokyo, maki-e

Madrid 2022

After the pen show of hope in 2021, the 2022 edition of the Madrid Pen Show had to be the show to return to some form of normalcy. And it seems this was achieved.

Photo courtesy of Mr. JMBS.

The odds were not in favor, though. New hotel with last minute problems, a sense of uncertainty regarding the coronavirus, some passivity in the local community, conflicts with a couple of dealers...

But 70 dealers and about 1800 visitors –official figures provided by the organization— prove it was a good event.

There was a mild renovation in the list of dealers with respect to pre-pandemic editions. Some retired, some were not willing to travel. But there are others willing to fill in. A minor side effect of this renovation was a higher presence of inks in the Madrid Pen Show.

Photo courtesy of Mr. Conde de Carrión.

Re visitors, the Spanish pen community had shown a remarkable lack of enthusiasm in online fora. Lack of reliable information about the event was at the heart of it, but it was corrected in time and aficionados did attend the event. And not only the domestic community came, but visitors from other European countries and even from the US.

Photos courtesy of Mr. Conde de Carrión.

The Madrid Pen Show is a free-entry show—the costs are covered by the table fees (about EUR 300/table this year). That makes it a very welcoming event for casual observers and for families, and encourages the social aspect of it. After all, a pen show is the perfect excuse to meet like-minded people even if you did not want to buy anything.

Photo courtesy of Mr. Conde de Carrión.

So this was the Madrid Pen Show in 2022, The test posed by the coronavirus pandemic seems passed, and now the challenge is dealing with the economic crisis ahead of us. But that will be in 2023,

Video courtesy of José Riofrío.

My thanks to Mr. JMBS and to Conde de Carrión for the pictures, and to Mr. José Riofrío for the video.

Hongdian N6 – Montblanc Black

Bruno Taut
November 28th, 2022
etiquetas: evento, Madrid

Western Paradise. Madrid Pen Show 2022

Comes November and the Spanish pen community get ready for the big party, for the “fiesta mayor”, the Madrid Pen Show. And it also happens to be the biggest pen show in Europe.

This year there is a new venue—Hotel VP El Madrono—and the party will take place between Friday 18th and Sunday 20th of November.

After the full-of-hope event of last year's, this one promises to be more normal, more free, and more populated. And with many pens!

Madrid Pen Show 2021.

So, go West, paradise is there.

See you in Madrid!

Lamy Safari Kanji - Franklin-Christoph Urushi Red

Bruno Taut
November 2nd 2022
labels: evento, Madrid

East and West

The following picture shows the fundamental difference between pen shows in in the East and in the West:

Pens, pens, and pens. Madrid Pen Show 2021.

On this picture alone there are more pens than in any of the pen shows celebrated in Tokyo. And that is a representation of the differences in philosophies associated to them—Western shows are about pens, pens, and pens. Second hand and vintage pens are the name of the game, and after that you could also find some new pens and some inks and paper.

On the contrary, pen shows in Tokyo –and in other East Asian cities- are about cute things... and some pens, mostly new. Sure enough a couple of traders might be there offering used pens, but their offer pales in comparison to what you can see on a single table in Madrid, as the firs picture showed.

Lots of people, very few pens.
Tokyo International Pen Show 2019.
(Picture courtesy of Inktraveler).

As I have repeatedly said (::1::, ::2::), they are not pen shows but stationary salons where brands and new entrepreneurs show their products. But the formula works and there is no real incentive to change it.

Bottom line—if you were interested in pens go West, paradise is there.

Omas Extra ca. 1940 – Sailor Yama-dori

Bruno Taut
December 17th, 2021
etiquetas: España, Japón, evento, Tokyo, Madrid

The Pen Show of Hope. Madrid 2021

The Madrid Pen Show of 2021 was not like those of previous years—it just could not be.

This pen show had everything against—a pandemic, a hotel that was closed on the planned dates, a new venue, the changing local policies, the unclear and ever changing travel requirements, a new mutation of the virus discovered days before the event... So, not much was in there for the pen show to be celebrated and, much less, to succeed.

But the people responded. There was a real crave in the Spanish aficionado to reconnect with the community and with the market.

Needless to say, the event figures did not reach the values of 2019 (no pen show in Madrid in 2020) and before. On this occasion, only 49 traders and about 1000 visitors joined the party. But it was a good party.

Several traders reported that they were selling more pens than on previous pen shows, which shows that there were some savings after two years without similar events.

But it was the sense of community what made the event successful. Visitors from all over Spain –from the Canary Islands and from the Balearic Islands, from the Basque Country and from Andalusia, from Murcia and from Catalonia...-- gathered at the Meliá Castilla Hotel and spent their money on pens that came all the way from all over Europe (UK, France, Netherlands, Germany, Portugal, …) and from the US.

So, the Madrid Pen Show is alive and kicking. This year´s edition proved how well connected the Spanish community is despite the pandemic, and in 2022 the Madrid Pen Show will be even better.

Montblanc 146 – Sailor Yama-dori

Bruno Taut
December 15th, 2021
etiquetas: España, Madrid, evento, mercado

Madrid vs. Tokyo (2021)

On the weekend of June 26-27, two different pen events took place in two very different cities: Madrid and Tokyo. This alone are very good news in times of pandemic, but a lot more can be said.

Let's start with the contexts. Madrid is a city of about 3.5 million people with a metropolitan area of 6.7 million. Tokyo, on it side, is home to 14 million with a metropolitan area of 37 million.

Regarding the infection conditions, Spain is currently doing a lot better than Japan in terms of immunization. At the time of the event, over 30% of the Spanish population had been vaccinated. And Japan, at the time, was struggling to get 3% of the population in the same conditions, and that despite the incoming  Olympic Games...

Then, 10 traders gathered in Madrid on Saturday morning (June 26th), and attracted about 100 potential buyers.

Madrid, June 26th.

In Tokyo, the yearly Pen Trade event was composed by 10 traders and 100 visitors over two days –Saturday and Sunday.

Tokyo, June 26th.

The plain figures are not very different, and any variation could be associated to the different levels in the immunization rates in these two countries... Maybe. However, the differences run much deeper.

The most obvious contrast, and not limited to these events of this month of June, is the mere number of pen for sale on the tables. On just one table in Madrid there were as many pens –or even more-- that in the whole Pen Trade event in Tokyo. We have seen this effect in other, bigger, events celebrated in these two cities—namely, the Madrid Pen Show, and the Tokyo International Pen Show.

Tokyo, June 26th.

Madrid, June 26th.

The real paradox is that a population shy of 7 million –Madrid-- concentrates more pens and more traders than Greater Tokyo with a population five times bigger. That or the organizers of pen events in Tokyo fail to attract those traders. Something is done very well in Madrid, and not so well in Tokyo.

And that, among other things, is why I say that the Tokyo International Pen Show is not a pen show. But there is always something interesting to take home with you.

The spoils fo the Pen Trade 2021. Not too bad...

My thanks to Inktraveler, whose pictures are greatly appreciated.

Montblanc 146 celluloid – Diamine Teal

Bruno Taut
July 7th, 2021
etiquetas: evento, Madrid, Tokyo

TIPS 2020

The third edition of the Tokyo International Pen Show –TIPS 2020— was celebrated on the weekend of November 6th to 8th. This alone, in these times of virus and infections, is just remarkable. Now, how was it?

Basic prophylaxis set the limits and conditions of such a potential massive event –remember that in 2019 there were about 2000 visitors. This year's event was organized in two-hour slots –seven of them— with 100 people in each of them. And that set a limit of 700 attendees. In contrast, the number of tables was barely smaller: 60 vs. 70 in 2019.

So, there were the boundary conditions on which those 700 visitors went in search of pens... or other objects. What we found was not any different to what we had seen in 2019—a stationery salon.

By that I mean a space where shops and makers show and present their new products as opposed to a place where collectors search for that rarity, and where there is some actual trading. So, the bulk of the pen show was dedicated to new products—pens, inks, paper, accessories; and only a handful of tables displayed vintage and second hand pens. Of them, only one –shared by two well-known traders— had those pens as its basic argument.

New stuff.

Vintage stuff.

One interesting element on this event is that it acts as an exhibit of a number of small pen makers whose products are not distributed through the usual distribution channels and are not present at the traditional stationers in town. Such is the case of Ohashido, StyloArt Karuizawa, Eboya, Takayuki, Matsuda Maki-e, Laurett's, Chriselle, Tetzbo, Hirai Woodturner...

Some of those small makers with very limited distribution.

I have said in the past that the East-Asia concept of a pen show is different from those in the West, but it is a successful idea. And giving the harsh times we are facing, it is excellent news TIPS 2020 came to exist.

Super Gold Line JIS 3232 — Diamine Graphite

Bruno Taut
November 19th 2020
etiquetas: Tokyo, evento