(smow) Blog Best of 2011: Bookinist Cup – Die Hölle von Aschau

Although officially a company fete at which Moormann wanted to thank their partners, dealers, designers et al for the good cooperation over the previous year; Die Hölle von Aschau was much more a family fest at which one could really feel the warmth that exists between the company and all they work with.

And that despite the sleet and wind.

This warmth was particularly evident as Nils Holger Moormann himself took to the track and was immediately surrounded by the sort of camera scrum more normally associated with George Clooney or Brad Pitt.

It was, genuinely, most touching.

In a week or so we’ll be in Cologne at IMM, in a world where hard deals are done on the purchase of leather sofas of questionable quality by over-confident reps in suits of an equally perfidious pedigree. Invariably this year using a tablet.

The Bookinist Cup was a reminder that it needn’t be so.

And we don’t just mean the fact that Vitra were a “sponsor”.

Guessing at what the whole exercise must have cost, we’re pretty certain that the money Moormann invested in Die Hölle von Aschau could easily have paid for a stand at a trade fair.

But knowing what we do about Nils Holger and his merry band of Moormänner we suspect that if it came to a direct choice between a trade fair or racing pieces of their furniture round a car park. The car park would win every time.

Something that is only possible in a world where it is understood that although profit is an unavoidable necessity; quality is the most important measure of success or failure. And that quality comes from having a real passion for what you do, about not seeing your occupation as mere work and from the fact that doing what you do makes you happy.

And so because it so eloquently reminded us that the designer furniture industry is something to be enjoyed, Die Hölle von Aschau wins a place in our highlights of 2011.

And for all who weren’t there. The official race film.

 

Tagged with: , , ,