Alexandra Houston: Charmskool supremo. Charmskool House Soho event. Location for the whole event, including the party, is the MesseHalle Hamburg-Schnelsen , on the north-west outskirts of the city. A big plus, when compared with the kind of venues the majority of fetish fairs and expos are obliged to make do with, is that Hamburg-Schnelsen is a proper modern exhibition centre β spacious, brightly lit and offering full professional facilities.
The downside, for anyone without a car who wants to experience the famous delights of Hamburg, is that it is a pricey cab ride or long bus ride from the city centre. So the Fair was the one event that for many visitors involved extra effort and expense.
Passion, however, is all in one place, so its location on the outskirts may not be such an issue. And it also includes a party. But there the similarities seem to end. The first Passion takes place in the peak shopping season before Christmas, one week before Black Friday. This should maximise its appeal as a dedicated seasonal gift fair for the kink community.
At publication time, some 97 exhibitor s had booked stands for the first Passion fair. Of these, more than 80 are German companies, ranging from the smallest hobby-type businesses to internationally known brands. Most of these are offering BDSM-related products β no surprise to anyone who has ever been to any German fetish fair and noticed how prevalent BDSM manufacturers are among the exhibitors.
More than a dozen clothing brands familiar from other fetish fairs are taking stands in Hamburg. Passion also boasts solo exhibitors from Poland and Switzerland , while Austria is fielding two vendors, Belgium is offering four and the Dutch have managed seven. You can find a full list of Passion exhibitors correct at publication time on Page Two of this article.
