Zow 2013: key to the German market

For furniture suppliers looking for a direct way into the important German furniture market, the 19th Zow international supplier fair for the furniture industry and interior design proved to be the ideal platform for presenting their wares and making contacts and it came at just the right point in the year. From 18-21 February 2013, 402 companies from 27 countries exhibited at the Bad Salzuflen exhibition centre, including 60 first-time exhibitors from 15 different countries. The ratio of German to non-German exhibitors was 63 percent to 37 percent. Suppliers from the important furniture cluster in Ostwestfalen-Lippe made up 39 percent of the German and 25 percent of all exhibitors. The exhibition covered around 24 000 m2 in halls 20, 21 and 22. Provisional figures show that around 11 800 visitors came to the Bad Salzuflen exhibition centre over the four days, a third of whom travelled from outside Germany.

Horst Rudolph, Managing Director of Clarion Events Deutschland, summed up the event on its final day: “Once again the suppliers at Zow have proven that they are driving innovation in the furniture industry and interior design. Faced with a tough environment on several foreign markets, the slight drop in exhibitor and visitor numbers to this year’s fair was to be expected. Nevertheless, the key groups of visitors once again attended. Numerous German furniture manufacturers, but also planners, important foreign producers and representatives of well-known trade organisations came to Bad Salzuflen to discover the latest products, concepts and processes from the supplier industry. The slight drop in visitor numbers was irrelevant because many of the exhibitors we spoke to said that this was more than compensated for by the outstanding quality of the customer contacts made.” And Rudolph adds: “The fact that the key decision-makers from leading German and European companies like Alno, Rauch, Staudt and Ikea chose to attend again, confirms that the market needs an annual event. And these important groups of visitors are clearly looking for a greater presence of exhibitors focusing on decor.”

Zow 2013 provided visitors with products and processes ranging from fittings systems and accessories to timber materials. Horst Rudolph: “Shop-fitting in particular enjoyed prominence at this year’s trade fair. We had run a targeted advertising campaign amongst architects and planners in advance of the event, which boosted the number of visitors from these target groups. Exciting new developments and applications from suppliers in the glass and lighting segments in particular attracted a lot of interest from visitors. Exhibitor feedback was extremely positive.”

The “igeL Forum” area concentrated on new developments in lightweight furniture construction. Interesting young companies from the national supplier industry presented their product and process knowledge in hall 20 in the “Bafa” area. The major “Rfid Factory” joint presentation showcased new wireless technology solutions along the furniture industry’s value-added chain in an area covering around 250 m2. The use of Rfid in new furniture logistics was just one of the highlights. Through practical presentations, the topic of Rfid has become established as a permanent fixture and attractive point of call at Zow. This was underlined by Andreas Ruf, deputy managing director of the Verband der Deutschen Wohnmöbelindustrie e.V. Herford, (Association of the German Home Furniture Industry): “It was very interesting to see the theoretical issue of Rfid in real-life applications in the Rfid Factory. – That’s Rfid you can relate to!”

The next date for the annual ZOW has been set: the 20th ZOW will run from 10-13 February 2014 at the Bad Salzuflen exhibition centre.

Zow 2013: key to the German market ultima modifica: 2013-03-13T00:00:00+00:00 da admin

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