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Domotex
scores high in every discipline
- Attendance tops 46,000 mark
for new
all-time record
- Entire branch expresses satisfaction
with outcome
- Innovations and new trends
stimulate buying
Domotex Hannover 2004 was held
from 17th to 20th January [2004] and in the final analysis
the exhibition statistics show more exhibitors, more visitors
and more orders than ever before...
Domotex Hannover 2004 may have started
on a note of 'cautious optimism' against a backdrop of difficult
trading conditions, but the world's flagship fair for floor
coverings pulled off some impressive results after four days
of trade show activity. The number of visitors soared to 46,000
Ð a massive increase of 15% over the previous year's total
of 40,132. With 1,152 participating exhibitors (compared with
1,061 in 2003) from 59 countries (53 last year), the show
achieved a 7% increase in exhibitor turnout. A 9% rise was
registered in terms of space booked, from 82,484 last year
to 88,000 square metres at the 2004 show.
The 12 exhibition halls dedicated to
Domotex 2004 covered the entire spectrum of the international
floor coverings industry: hand-made carpets/area rugs, machine-made
woven carpets, textile and resilient floor coverings, parquet
and other wooden flooring, laminates, applications technology,
installation equipment, cleaning and maintenance, contract
flooring, fibers, yarns and textiles topped off with a promising
debot Ð a brand-new showcase for natural stone floors and
ceramic floor tiles.
Thanks to imaginative stand designs
and product arrangements, many exhibitors succeeded in appealing
to visitors at an emotional level tooÑevidence that the show
is giving rise to some novel approaches to goods presentation
and related services. Practical tips for product and marketing
strategies were particularly well-received by the trade.
High level of exhibitor satisfaction
The marked increase in visitor turnout
and the high calibre of attending professionals was echoed
in the positive ratings exhibitors gave Domotex 2004. Some
93.4% of participating companies (89.9% in 2003) indicated
having reached their intended target groups wholly or partially.
Across the entire range of evaluation criteria, exhibitors
in 2004 rated their success at the show as better – in
some cases far better – than last year's, whether in
terms of visitor turnout at their stands, the number of promising
business talks, the amount of new leads generated or the outlook
for favorable post-show business.
Exhibitors look to Domotex more than
any other trade fair to generate real business: Around half
of the trade professionals attending Domotex Hannover 2004
(42%) came with the firm intention of placing orders at the
show, and far more deals were signed this year than in previous
years. Domotex has literally rolled out the red carpet for
an upsurge of 'spring fever' in the budding 2004 business
year.
The high levels of satisfaction expressed
by exhibitors at Domotex Hannover 2004 were evident in the
resounding 83.5% of companies already confirming their intent
to participate again at next year's [2005] Domotex (compared
with 79,1% in 2003).
Excellent visitor make-up
Increases were scored both for domestic
and foreign visitors, with a total of 19,600 flooring professionals
from Germany (compared with 17,100 the previous year) and
26,400 from abroad (23,000 in 2003) attending the event. A
notable rise in attendance was recorded from the global growth
markets of Eastern Europe and Asia.
The traditionally high calibre of the
trade visitors at Domotex moved up yet another notch in 2004,
with more and more top-level staff coming in order to do business
first-hand. Some 22,400 of those attending Domotex 2004 held
managerial positions with their companies and had come to
get real business done. This figure was joined by a total
of 15,400 attendees from the skilled trades (e.g. interior
decorators, layers of parquet and other wooden flooring, painters
and finishers), which constituted nearly twice the corresponding
figure for 2003 (7,900).
Domotex is definitely a show for decision-makers.
Some 78.1% of visitors have a major or contributing say in
purchasing decisions (2003: 76.5%). Around 45% of visitors
attend only Domotex, choosing not to visit any other show
on similar themes.
Innovation is the way forward
"The recession that has continued to
haunt the building industry for four years now has left a
few scars", commented Hermann Wegelt, Executive Director of
the German Association of the Parquet Flooring Industry, in
advance of Domotex 2004. But his verdict after four days of
bustling trade show activity was: "Actually, anyone walking
through Halls 7, 8 and 9 couldn't help but take heart. Right
from the first day of the show, crowds of trade professionals
were rushing from one meeting to the next."
Really practical displays –
by professionals, for professionals
Two special displays were a real hit.
The first, the 'Domotex Workshop' brought skilled professionals
onto the stage, where expert layers of parquet, screed and
other flooring, along with interior decorators and painters,
demonstrated all the essential skills in live demonstrations.
Demonstrations of current laying techniques and information
from 'tradesman to tradesman' were also in hot demand. The
public crowded around many stands with sample flooring sections
and exhibitors' products that could be tried out on the spot.
The accompanying lecture series entitled
'Forum Handwerk' (Skilled Trades Forum) also made its debut
this year [2004], proving a big hit right from the start.
Speakers described cases from their experience with screeding
and laying parquet and other flooring. "We were surprised
at the enormous response we received from visiting professionals
and are very pleased with the way it went", commentated moderator
Norbert Strehle. Dr. Helmut Bednar, a visiting specialist
from Vienna, praised the event from an audience standpoint:
"The demonstrations had a genuinely practical focus and were
presented in an absorbing way that was not overly technical,
but rather highly professional and competent."
In the end it was quality that counted.
Three teams from England, Austria and Germany competed in
the First European Team Floorlaying Competition, pitting their
practical skills against one another. Up until now, the British
had had to compete among themselves for the title of the best
floor-laying professional, but at Domotex 2004 the contest
was finally extended to a European context. Apart from sheer
speed, contestants' accuracy and professional skills were
all put to the test. When all the results were tallied, the
team from Great Britain emerged as the winner after two days
of competition. John Roberts, Executive Director of the Flooring
Industry Training Association in Great Britain, was the coordinator
of the contest and has big plans for the next Domotex: "That
was just the beginning. Next year we want to extend the competition,
as we've been fielding inquiries from numerous teams all over
the world."
© International Trade Publications –
April 2005
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