隨性的文創巡禮 / A Casual Stroll Through the World of Creative Goods

前陣子，朋友給了免費的禮品展門票，於是趁了週末時，順便去看看，對我而言，禮品展是一個創意與實用性兼具的正式展會，讓廠商、設計師、品牌商、通路商與企業採購人員有機會面對面交流，廠商會展出的商品，至少會有一定水準，以提高商品曝光度，並讓更多人認識品牌，像這類以往面對企業端的展覽，開放給一般消費者參觀的機會，越來越多了，可能是景氣真的不好，需要更多人氣，或者是主辦方希望展會能被更多人看見，這我就不得而知了。

首先，我就被文創攤位區所吸引，不管到那裏，我常常會看到文創攤位，身邊也有少數朋友，因為自身興趣而投身文創產業，而我也感覺到，文創產業真是百家爭鳴，各式的文創小物，讓走過路過的路人，頻頻停留把玩，紙膠帶曾經是最流行的文創小物，可惜的是，現在已經是一片紅海了，我印象最深刻的就是故宮的「朕知道了」系列紙膠帶，它是是康熙皇帝真跡的複製品，但讓看到它的人，發出會心一笑。

人生中有八大問題，家運、本運、姻緣、事業、學業、健康、求子、財運，您想知道那種運勢？學生的話，可能想知道學業，適齡男女的話，或許在乎姻緣，大部分的人，都希望能有點錢，這家廠商賣的抽籤機，不但尺寸小巧，可擺在書桌、玄關、床頭，且隨時可幫購買者解惑排憂，我玩了一下抽籤機，研究一下我抽到的籤詩，並和老闆娘聊了一下，原來這款文創商品已經集資成功，現場價，九百元台幣，文創商機無限啊！

3D真人公仔作為禮物贈與親朋好友，倒是一門不錯的生意，現場就有展示這類的3D真人公仔，不過，我問了現場的銷售人員，價錢倒是不太親民，不過，他提到最近把心愛寵物做成公仔的需求越來越多了，也隱隱地呈現出了少子化的影響，人們都不愛生小孩，反而把心力投在不那麼花金錢及時間的寵物身上，真糟糕啊！

雖然我只能隨性地漫步在某個文創展會，但是透過觀察及聊天，也看出不少趨勢及現狀，當然，也看到不少好玩且有趣的禮品，有些商品真的不錯，很有設計感，不過，通常價錢也不斐，假如是企業採購人員要挑選禮品的話，這裡真是個好地方，可以找到特別且符合企業形象的禮品，對於一般消費者，也是個打發時間、長見識的好所在。

A while ago, a friend gave me a free ticket to a gift exhibition, so I took advantage of the weekend to check it out. To me, gift expos are formal events that combine creativity and practicality. They give manufacturers, designers, brand owners, distributors, and corporate buyers a chance to connect face-to-face. The products showcased are usually of a certain standard because exhibitors want to increase exposure and let more people know about their brand. These kinds of trade shows used to be for business professionals only, but now, they’re increasingly open to the general public. Maybe it’s because the economy isn’t doing great and they need more foot traffic or maybe the organizers just want more visibility. Who knows.

Right away, I was drawn to the cultural and creative (aka "wen-chuang") booths. No matter where I go, I always seem to run into these kinds of vendors. A few friends of mine are also involved in the cultural creative industry because of personal interest. It really feels like a super competitive field—so many creative little items that make passersby stop and take a closer look. Washi tape used to be the hot product in this space, but now the market is totally saturated. I still remember the “I know” washi tape series from the National Palace Museum. It was based on an actual handwritten phrase by Emperor Kangxi. Simple, but it always makes people smile.

Life supposedly has eight major areas of concern: family, self, love, career, studies, health, fertility, and money. Most students probably care about academics, while people of dating age might care more about relationships. But honestly, everyone wants to have a little more money, right? One vendor had a mini fortune-drawing machine that caught my attention. It’s small enough to put on a desk, entryway, or bedside table, and you can use it any time to “get advice” on life’s problems. I played around with it, checked the fortune I got, and chatted with the owner a bit. Turns out this product had already been successfully crowdfunded! It was selling at the show for 900 NT dollars. The creative market really has potential!

Another booth was showing off 3D-printed figurines of real people. These could make unique gifts for friends or family. I asked the sales rep about the price—turns out it’s not exactly cheap. But he said that more and more people are ordering 3D models of their pets instead of themselves. Kind of reflects how fewer people are having kids these days. Instead, they pour their love into pets, which cost less time and money. It's a bit sad, honestly.

Even though I was just casually wandering around the expo, I learned quite a bit just by observing and chatting with people. There were so many fun and interesting gift ideas. Some of them were really well-designed, but also pretty expensive. Still, if you’re in charge of corporate gifting, this is a great place to find something special that fits your company’s image. And for regular visitors like me, it’s also a nice way to kill time and get inspired.

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