BMAA SuperExpo 19: Our impressions

The Blind Manufacturers’ Association of Australia (BMAA) held its annual industry SuperExpo this month in Queensland on the Gold Coast. Burns for Blinds’ managing partners Matthew Sims and Mark Greig attend this important industry event every year so that they can discover new trends, products and business opportunities.

This is what Matthew had to say about their experience:

“We are always eager to see new products on display and there were some impressive presentations to see at this year’s SuperExpo. These displays clearly had a significant investment put into them to make them as eye-catching and progressive as they were.

There seemed to be an increased focus on making sure products achieved a sleek, modern look without jeopardising on functionality. Over the last decade, the industry has come a long way, with automated blinds and awnings taking centre stage in recent years.

We also noticed a significant evolution in manual operation methods in the form of wand operations, one-touch operations and new pump operations. This was particularly focused around interior blinds, where the risk to child safety posed by traditional chain and cord systems, is greater.

The trend towards using blinds and awnings to enhance outdoor living continued strong this year, with new products incorporating lighting and heating features to create an all-in-one solution. We also noticed significant product improvements in awnings, folding arm awnings and some quality variations of Café style Ziptrak blinds.

Based on our observations, we think sheer curtains will be making a comeback in the near future. We learned that they are currently being specified by architects in the eastern states of Australia for use in new apartment buildings and hotels to be used in concert with block-out roller blinds.

There are some amazing, high quality sheer fabrics being used that come in a variety of colours and textures to match any décor.

With options for remote control, voice control (when used with Google Home) and one-touch operation, consumers are getting more choice when it comes to how they control light in their homes.

Overall, the BMAA SuperExpo 19 showed that the industry is doing well to keep up with changing demands in home light control, privacy, comfort and security. New innovations (such as the combination of outdoor living products and lighting/heating elements) make this an exiting time for the industry and for our customers.”