DOMOTEX 2009 emits positive signal in tough economic climate

• Flooring industry upbeat, emphasizing innovation and creativity
• Rate of international attendance up again
• Even higher caliber of visiting professionals
• “contractworld” a hit among international architects

Hannover, Germany. The new business year got off to a confident and optimistic start at the four-day DOMOTEX HANNOVER tradeshow for carpets and floor coverings: “Despite the tough economic climate, DOMOTEX attracted more exhibitors than the comparable previous event, while at the same time experiencing a further increase in the caliber of attending professionals and providing the industry with new ideas through a range of innovative info forums,” commented Stephan Kühne, the member of the Deutsche Messe Managing Board in charge of DOMOTEX. Although many exhibitors went into this year's show with cautious expectations, there were numerous reports of brisk business activity. The general mood among exhibitors could be summed up as: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” At approximately 38,000, attendance was down — as expected — compared with last year's event, which had been staged under significantly more favorable market conditions. There was virtually unanimous agreement among the show's 1,394 exhibitors, however, about the high quality of leads generated in Hannover. “Any crisis also creates a wealth of new opportunities. DOMOTEX 2009 has emitted positive signals in tough times and given the industry valuable guidance for the road ahead,” emphasized Kühne.

According to Hans Joachim Schilgen, President of the German Home Textile Industry Association: “Our members came to DOMOTEX with realistic expectations. Their ultimately positive verdict was based on the many promising talks held and deals signed. New developments got a lot of attention, and interest in sustainability was on the rise. DOMOTEX has clearly lived up to its reputation asthe international marketplace for innovations and new leads.”

Dr. Ali Ipektchi, Chairman of the European Carpet Importers Association (EUCA), commented: “In good times, trade fairs play an important role. In difficult times, their importance is greater still, since the industry needs a main gathering place at which to compare notes on the challenges ahead. The overall mood at DOMOTEX was positive, despite a measure of uncertainty about the outlook for 2009.”

Emphasizing the show's strong international appeal, Kühne remarked: “With 82 percent of exhibitors and 64 percent of trade visitors coming from abroad, DOMOTEX has underscored its significance as a beacon for the global flooring industry — even in a time of international economic incertitude. Exhibitors and visitors value DOMOTEX as a sharply focused event where pros meet pros and deals are done.”

Caliber of visiting professionals higher than ever

With a trade visitor ratio of virtually 100 percent, DOMOTEX 2009 was on a par with last year's event, reasserting the show's distinctly professional appeal. Attendance from the categories of self-employed, managing directors and department heads experienced further growth. With 86 percent of all visitors playing a major role in their companies' purchasing decisions, DOMOTEX 2009 delivered big in yet another category.

In spite of reduced visitor turnout in absolute numbers — largely attributable to the current economic environment, tighter travel budgets and a general cost-cutting trend — the percentage of visitors from abroad was up five percent, for a record 64 percent. Attendance from Eastern Europe and the Americas was particularly strong.

In terms of professional background, attendance was especially high among visitors from the skilled trades and interior decorators and designers. DOMOTEX underscored its reputation as a flagship fair for its sector by delivering on the very priorities identified by visitors as the most important to them: sourcing new products and gathering information on the latest innovations and trends. There was also widespread visitor praise for the strong international profile and comprehensive coverage of the event.

Exhibitors emphasize innovation and creativity

1,394 exhibitors from 71 different nations displayed their latest products and developments in carpets, textile and resilient floor coverings, laminate flooring and parquet flooring. For exhibitors as well as visitors, the main focus was on innovation. In the words of Geert Vanden Bossche, Marketing Director of the Balta Group: “DOMOTEX 2009 was an excellent trade fair for us. Since the key to growing your business is product development, over 60 percent of the products displayed at our stand involved innovations.” Sustainability was also seen as an increasingly important issue among exhibitors: “At DOMOTEX we can highlight our image and present our full product range — including our commitment to ecologically responsible, environmentally compatible production,” said Richard J. Burkemper, Senior Vice President of Mohawk International.

Special displays and events highlight latest trends

DOMOTEX HANNOVER 2009 once again functioned as a major hub for members of the floorlaying skilled trades. This year's elaborate presentations and special events were specially targeted at parquet and general flooring professionals as well as interior decorators and painters. The Skilled Trades Forum featured presentations by leading specialists on current practical issues, including state-of-the-art processes and techniques. The Initiative for Safer Working Practices focused on health and safety and issues for floorlaying professionals. In the European Team Floorlaying Competition, teams from seven countries faced off to demonstrate their skill and quickness in floor and parquet laying. The Italian team took first place in this year's competition.

The many new special presentations and events at this year's DOMOTEX significantly widened the scope of the supporting program. The “world of acoustic” information forum was the first such presentation devoted to building acoustics. A series of lectures and workshops featuring architects and scientists explored the optimum design and planning of building acoustics as a key aspect in user comfort. The two-day event also included practical simulations and experiments.

contractworld: networking hub for international architects

Another trendsetting event consisted of Europe's leading architecture forum, contractworld. For the first time this year, presentations by star architects like David Chipperfield, Matteo Thun and Mario Botta were accompanied by presentations involving other disciplines. Examples included a presentation by urban planning and tourism expert Dr. Felizitas Romeiss-Stracke in the “Hotels/Spas/Catering Facilities” category, as well as by Bishop Margot Kässmann, of the Evangelical Lutheran Diocese of Hannover, in the “Use Conversion” category, on the pros and cons of converting worship areas for alternative uses. The four-day congress was attended by a total of 2,500 architects and interior architects.

The highlight of contractworld consisted of the presentation of the contractworld.awards. Prize money totaling 60,000 euros makes this Europe's most lucrative award architectural award for interior design. A panel of experts judged a record total of 570 projects, including 293 from abroad. This year's winners were from Japan, France and Portugal.

A particular highlight involved the presentation of the world's largest Nain carpet (20 x 20 meters) in Hall 17. Handmade in Iran, the work was knotted in a single piece over a period of six years, and has approximately 490,000 knots per square meter. A total of 2,250 kilograms of wool, 300 kilograms of natural silk and 1,280 kilograms of cotton went into the filigree design.

Highly exportable concept

Many exhibitors rely on tried-and-tested DOMOTEX quality and the organizing expertise of Deutsche Messe to join the latter in expanding internationally. Some of the world's fastest-growing economic regions now have a DOMOTEX show of their own, thus opening a window to some highly attractive markets for carpet and floor covering manufacturers.

The eleventh DOMOTEX asia/Chinafloor — Asia's largest international flooring tradeshow — runs from 24 to 26 March 2009 in Shanghai. The venue is the Shanghai New International Expo Center. The organizers expect to host 1,100 exhibitors on gross display space of 97,750 square meters.

DOMOTEX Middle East, the Gulf region's international tradeshow for carpets and floor coverings, has been rescheduled to run from 17 to 19 May 2009 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center. The fair had been previously scheduled for 12 to 14 May at Dubai Airport Expo Center. This event is expected to attract 290 exhibitors, presenting their products on gross display space of 14,000 square meters.

The next DOMOTEX HANNOVER will take place from 16 to 19 January 2010, featuring an all-new, parallel trade fair for ceramic tiles entitled “fliesen/tiles 2010”, at the Hannover Exhibition Center.