At the current NRA Show, we sat down with Burkhard Schmidt for a Q&A about the company and the hospitality tabletop segment and here’s what he had to say:
Q: What is your background, both before you joined Villeroy & Boch and where in V&B have you been before heading up the global Hotel & Restaurant Division?
A: I have a professional background as communication manager as well as product manager in different lifestyle industries (e.g. Siemens / mobile devices) And before I was taking over the responsibility for the entire hospitality business at Villeroy & Boch worldwide I was joining our Bath & Wellness Division in international Marketing and Sales – especially in the Near Middle East, India and Asia. 
A: Our strong brand awareness indeed is one factor that helps to drive our business. Villeroy & Boch is a well known brand – especially in Europe. The Hotel & Restaurant Division does furthermore benefit from our well-established project business on the part of the Bath & Wellness Division. But of course, we ourselves are also very active in successfully building our image in the hospitality sector.
We recently announced a worldwide collaboration with the Belmond Group who chose Villeroy & Boch as their“preferred supplier” for Tableware (and Broggi for flatware/silverware). Prestigious references in the branch do help a lot as well and the list of our references is long and includes luxury or design hotels such as the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, the Standard Hotel in New York, several Waldorf Astoria hotels and numerous excellent restaurants as well as cruises and trains such as the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express. 
A: Although white is always en vogue like the black dress in fashion, decorations are popular and also color is coming back. Villeroy & Boch has a strong competence in design, in general and in decoration, in particular. Our first decoration was Old Luxembourg and it has been designed in 1768 (which makes it older than the United States!).
Since the beginning in the 1980’s the Hotel & Restaurant Divisionoffers customized solutions, which means that we design individual patterns exclusively for our clients. We also do launch a new pattern at NRA this year. The collection Amarah reflects current colour and design trends: It features a soft, painterly brush stroke and crackled glaze design in muted and classy colors such as taupe, earth and aqua tones.
Q: Since Villeroy & Boch is very much a trend-conscious company…..what trends do you see in the hospitality tabletop sector?
A: We do see diversity and creativity. To combine different collections and items as well as using eye-catching pieces are getting more and popular in the industry. The collection Affinity that we launched last year also reflects some of these trends: The collection includes 70 pieces that offer plently of options for both diverse food and all different kind of restaurants. The branch requires uncomplicated solutions that are sophisticated and individual at the same time – just like the food.
A: Since the beginning we collaborate with renowned chefs – for example Paul Bocuse. Since 12 years already we provide the presentation plate for his famous contest “Bocuse d’Or” and we support it as “member” (“Membre associé”) even much longer. This year all participating chefs present their food creations on the round Affinity plate (31,5 cm). Furthermore will our new collection Amarah hopefully inspire many chefs to set their food in scene appropriately. But also our existing ranges such as NewWave, Modern Grace or Stella will be popular and either delight them in plain white – as a white plate will always be en vogue just like a black dress in fashion – or with a customized design just along their individual needs and wishes. 
A: The classical fine dining as we used to know it for many years has changed, rather developed. Fine Dining does – especially in the Western countries – not necessarily mean that you would wear a stiff suit for example. Understatement is a topic in modern societies which has an influence of the interiors and also the look of the guests in fine restaurants as well. Style and good taste, yes – angularity, no.
Nowadays, a CEO might walk into a fine restaurant wearing causal fashion but a luxury watch or handsewn leather shoes. It’s just like in the fashion and here, especially in the haute couture industry: Fine Dining has to reinvent itself to stay at the top …
Q: What role do you feel that tabletop plays in the overall dining experience?
A: Tabletop is – of course besides the eating itself – the most intimate part during a restaurant visit. It’s most closely to a person and furthermore it’s the stage for the food they are having. Tabletop takes a crucial part within the entire dining experience and is important for both the guests and the chef who wants to make sure that his food already thrills at first sight.
Q: Since you are responsible for V&B’s hospitality business globally….what regions, in particular, are you targeting for growth in the next 1-2 years?
A: We are growing especially in the EMEA region, with the Near Middle East leading the way as growth market. Within the Asian countries China is an emerging market and interesting for us (growing middle class). In our established markets we aim to grow by setting trends and by tracking attentively how it’s developing.
Q: Now….something a bit personal…what types of music does Burkhard Schmidt like to listen to? And, what was the most recent concert you attended?
A: As I travel a lot, most of the concerts I saw within the past few years, I watched onboard of aircrafts. But, however, if you ask me for my favourite music I would say it’s a mix of smashing hits of the 1980’s and current R&B or pop hits by artists like Rihanna that I download for my girls at home. Besides listening to music I really enjoy reading a good book…
