Gerald Böse | imm cologne

Final report: trade fair duo imm cologne and LivingKitchen 2013 attracts 142,000 visitors from 137 countries

After seven intense days, the imm cologne closed its doors on Sunday with good to very good results. 1,250 companies from more than 50 countries showcased the latest trends for the coming year and – including estimates for the last day of the fair – attracted 142,000 visitors to Cologne.

This year, there was a 13 percent rise in the internationality of the visitor structure – a significant increase. The international furnishing fair was able to report particularly positive growth in the emerging markets of Eastern Europe and Asia that are so important for the sector. “This result is a great signal for the imm cologne and confirmation of a performance befitting a leading international fair,” said a visibly satisfied Gerald Böse, CEO of Koelnmesse. “With this trade fair duo, we have written the next chapter in the success story of the imm cologne and LivingKitchen. Cologne is the absolute focal point of the furniture and kitchen industry – especially when it comes to business,” continues the trade fair corporation’s chief executive officer.

Dirk-Uwe Klaas, Chief Executive of the Association of the German Furniture Industry (Verband der Deutschen Möbelindustrie), came to a similarly positive conclusion: “The imm cologne 2013 was an outstanding trade fair – the German furniture industry is more than satisfied. Despite the wintery weather, visitors flocked to the exhibition centre in droves. We are delighted to report numerous new contacts and customers as well as a pleasing amount of ordering activity. The marked increase in the number of foreign trade visitors is another important component for the fair’s enduring and sustainable success.”

[D3] Design talents: imm cologne’s competition format for promoting newcomers celebrates 10th anniversary

The imm cologne‘s talent show D3 Design talents is a constant for trade visitors and anyone with an interest in design. The exhibition of winning entries from the international newcomer competition D3 Contest is particularly popular. Thanks to the good framework conditions, the professional execution and the sophisticated presentation of the winners at the heart of the imm cologne, the D3 Contest is highly regarded amongst established designers as well. In particular, the trade fair’s commitment to supporting the participants and the selective presentation guarantee a first-class exhibition. At the coming furnishing fair, the platform for young designers will be celebrating its first two-digit anniversary.

For ten years now, the imm cologne has been providing young designers with a forum where they can present their ideas for furniture, home accessories, lighting, floor coverings, wallpapers, textiles and other forward-looking furnishing items to an international public: the D3 Contest. For the coming imm cologne, 671 products were entered from more than 40 countries – convincing evidence of the competition’s international standing.

Rooms Moscow 2013: Koelnmesse launches new project in Russia

Gerald Böse, CEO of the Koelnmesse Executive Board. (photo: Koelnmesse)

On 15 May 2012 Media Globe Krokus (MGK), as organiser of the Moscow International Furniture Show, and Koelnmesse signed a letter of intent. The joint aim is to establish a furniture trade fair with an international format in Moscow from 2013.

“For Koelnmesse this collaboration will be of great mutual benefit and represents an important step forward in internationalisation”, explains Gerald Böse, CEO at Koelnmesse. “Under the name ‘Rooms Moscow’ we will create a trade fair format aimed at the Russian market within the Moscow International Furniture Show. In doing so, we will bring in all the relevant furnishing areas of our globally leading trade fairs imm cologne, LivingKitchen, ORGATEC, spoga+gafa and interzum”, Böse continues. The range on show will span upholstery, storage furniture and office furniture, as well as furniture for contract business, for the outdoor area and for the kitchen.

Rooms Moscow should provide visitors with an overview of designs for rooms, including interior fittings, floors, walls, ceilings, lighting and bath and spa solutions. This new trade fair provides a platform for companies across the world seeking access to the Russian market.

imm cologne 2012 has been a complete success: 115,000 visitors from 118 countries have come to Cologne

On 22nd January 2012, the imm cologne and LivingInteriors drew to a close in Cologne with a very good result. For seven days, 1,157 companies from 54 countries showed the interior design trends of the coming year. Including estimates for the last day of the show, the trade fair duo lured 115,000 visitors to Cologne. “Cologne is the key business platform for the global furniture economy – as this trade fair has once again impressively demonstrated,” sums up Gerald Böse, CEO of Koelnmesse. “This year we were bang on course. We had more exhibitors, were more international – the Italian contingent was stronger than it had been for a long time – and visitors got to see lots of genuinely new products. All in all, a result like this means we are again playing at the very top of the furniture sector’s premier league,” continues Böse.

With his statement “This year’s furniture fair exceeded our expectations yet again,” Dirk Uwe Klaas, Chief Executive of the Association of the German Furniture Industry (Verband der Deutschen Möbelindustrie), came to a similar conclusion. “With this kind of momentum, 2012 may well be a very good year for furniture- and as far as Germany is concerned, our furniture industry may well become the engine that drives consumption,” adds the Chief Executive.

A total of 115,000 visitors came to the metropolis on the Rhine – 14 percent more than at the last comparable event in 2010, even without LivingKitchen. With foreign visitors accounting for 42 percent (based on the trade visitor days), the imm cologne was once again a very international trade fair. Firstly, there were far more buyers from Europe, especially from the Russian Federation and Italy, and secondly, there was a slight increase in the number of visitors from North America and Asia. The Public Days were also very well attended. Around 40,000 consumers came to seek inspiration from the interior worlds on show. “We see this result as proof that our many and varied activities, aimed not only at national and international trade visitors but at consumers as well, have been successful,” says Katharina C. Hamma, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse. “The imm cologne 2012 has thus established itself as an order-writing and information platform,” continues the COO.

D3 Contest: commited to the promotion of young designers from all over the world

Mid-January is nearly here again. Furniture manufacturers, designers and interior designers will once again be turning the halls of the imm cologne into a huge exhibition area. The D3 Talents design platform has long ceased to be an “inside tip” and is now widely regarded as a “must” for anyone with an interest in design. For at the D3 talent forum, visitors can discover products that are still waiting for their future: experimental designs, original creations and clever new construction principles developed by the most promising newcomers the design scene has to offer.

“With D3, we deliberately offer young designers a unique opportunity to present themselves to international experts, the media and companies,” says Gerald Böse, CEO of Koelnmesse. “Our commitment goes down well with the international design scene too. At the end of the day, it’s precisely this encounter between experimental design and the market-driven offerings of the furniture industry, the contrast between the commercial and the experimental, that makes the imm cologne so attractive to so many people,” adds the imm cologne’s Creative Director Dick Spierenburg.

imm cologne 2012: Lifestyle labels from Italy head the list of international exhibitor groups

The renewed focus of leading Italian lifestyle brands such as Kartell on Europe's large furnishing trade show sends a clear signal and is resulting in more and more Italian brand names returning to Cologne. (Photo: Kartell)

Italian design is at home in Cologne. From 16 to 22 January 2012 the designer nation’s furniture and interior design culture will once again be out in full strength at imm cologne under the flag of Italy’s leading lifestyle brands. With still half a year to go before the trade show, appearances by 60 Italian exhibitors, including top brands B&B Italia, Cierre, Desalto, Driade, Living Divani and Kartell, are already certain. They will present their ranges and innovation in the “pure” design segment.

Kartell’s repeat showing at imm cologne after last year, says Managing Director Dr. Claudio Luti, is mainly due to the location’s economic importance: “From an historical viewpoint, Germany has always been a key overseas market for Kartell. The presence at the trade show and the opening of six flagship stores in recent years are a sign of our commitment in striking deep roots in German soil and on the German market. In fact, Germany is not just a primary market for Kartell, but also its principal gateway to the nations of Eastern Europe. We believe that it’s crucial to appear in Germany at reputable trade shows such as imm cologne.”

imm cologne 2012 with high number of registrations: strong demand for space from Italy

Following the end of the early booking period, Koelnmesse is looking ahead to imm cologne 2012 with optimism. Already, more than 200 days before the event, the rental situation is 18 percent above the figures for the same period for the last imm cologne. Overall, over 70 percent of the hall space has been hired out.

“This result marks a seamless transition from the outstanding imm cologne 2011″, remarks Gerald Böse, CEO of Koelnmesse, with regard to the registration figures. “Developments in relation to international participation are particularly pleasing. As well as huge demand from Germany, we have seen increased desire for space from Italy, France and Spain”, continues the CEO.

Frank Haubold, director of imm cologne, had the following to say: “The current developments confirm imm cologne as an important international business event. Anyone wanting to earn money through furniture turns to Germany and thus to imm cologne as the biggest event in this market.” LivingInteriors, the new trade fair format for halls 4 and 5, is also awaited with great excitement. Here, everything will revolve around the topics of bathrooms, floors, walls and light.

interzum 2011: More exhibitors and more visitors document a great success

“Sensational. It was our best interzum ever,” was the general consensus amongst exhibitors at the end of this year’s interzum. With 52,400 trade visitors from 147 countries, the leading international trade fair for the furniture supplier industry was able to announce growth of 13 percent as compared to the previous event in 2009. The internationality of the visitor structure, traditionally always high anyway, increased significantly this year with a plus of 24 percent.

“I’m absolutely thrilled. What’s been happening here over the last few days is incredible. For four days, the exhibitors have been showing what I can only describe as a firework display. The industry has been celebrating itself – with good reason,” concludes Frank Haubold, product manager of interzum and director of the imm cologne. “With this interzum, Koelnmesse has definitely underlined its position as a beacon for the furniture industry. I don’t believe there is any other trade fair venue in the world where three absolute leading events for the respective sectors take place so successfully, in such concentrated form and in such a brief space of time. We are creating precedents for an extremely promising future,” says a visibly satisfied Gerald Böse, CEO of Koelnmesse.

This year’s interzum was the international meeting point for the supplier industry. The mood was extremely good, exhibitors were able to make new contacts and boost business. And visitors had the opportunity to get a comprehensive overview of what the sector has to offer. There were sophisticated newly developed products on show in all segments.

imm cologne 2011 exceeds all expectations: exhibitors and visitors thrilled with dual trade fair

On 23rd January 2011, the imm cologne and LivingKitchen in Cologne drew to a close with an excellent result. Including estimates for the final day of the fair, the dual event drew around 138,000 visitors to Cologne – an increase of 38 percent. “What’s been happening here over the last few days is unbelievable. What trade fair can announce such marked double-digit visitor growth? That’s a great signal for the consumer goods trade fairs in Germany during the course of the year and convincing confirmation that trade fairs are a highly efficient marketing tool,” sums up the trade fair’s visibly satisfied commander-in-chief Gerald Böse. “We have all become part of a success story called imm cologne and LivingKitchen. Cologne is the absolute focal point of the furniture industry again, especially when it comes to the business side of things, as well as home to the international kitchen furniture industry,” adds the CEO of Koelnmesse. Dirk Uwe Klaas, Chief Executive of the Association of the German Furniture Industry (Verband der Deutschen Möbelindustrie), came to a similar conclusion: “It was by far the best furniture fair we’ve had in the last 10 years: more visitors, more contracts signed and an excellent mood. An excellent start to the 2011 furniture year for our national furniture industry and a huge success for Koelnmesse.”

The unique combination of furnishing and kitchen worlds convinced both trade visitors and the general public. The excellent reception the event met with from visitors during the entire week of the fair ensured beaming faces on the manufacturers’ side. 138,000 professional buyers and consumers from 128 countries flocked to the exhibition halls of the imm cologne // LivingKitchen – 38 percent more than attended the previous event (imm cologne 2010). There were significant increases amongst trade visitors, not only from within Germany but above all from abroad, most notably from the Netherlands, France, Italy and Switzerland, as well as Eastern Europe in general and Russia in particular. In addition, more buyers were registered from important export markets like Asia, the Near East and North America. All in all, the trade fair drew increased numbers of visitors from almost all countries. “This result is convincing proof that the diverse activities and high level of commitment we put into attracting national and international visitors were successful and have definitely paid off,” says Gerald Böse.

Clear double-digit increase in the number of visitors creates positive mood in Cologne

Cologne is once again the capital of the global furnishing industry. This is confirmed not only by the many innovative products from exhibitors, but also by statements from enthusiastic visitors. The positive mood in the exhibition halls is also reflected in the first summary by Gerald Böse, CEO of Koelnmesse. “We have seen a clear double-digit increase in the number of visitors and – what I find especially pleasing – we have also been able to make significant gains abroad. That’s what I call a perfect start to a promising trade fair week.” The new international kitchen event LivingKitchen, which celebrated a successful premiere yesterday and generated additional interest among visitors and the media, is also responsible for this result.

The “furniture year” traditionally begins with the leading international trade fair imm cologne. Up until Sunday, nearly 1,200 exhibitors from around the world are presenting new furnishing trends in the completely booked exhibition halls. It is the innovation show with more than 100,000 items of furniture. This year the fair once again features the kitchen industry. The three exhibition halls inspire the desire to cook and offer everything having to do with kitchen furniture, built-in appliances and accessories.

imm cologne

Create. Furnish. Live.

Final report: trade fair duo imm cologne and LivingKitchen 2013 attracts 142,000 visitors from 137 countries

[D3] Design talents: imm cologne’s competition format for promoting newcomers celebrates 10th anniversary

Rooms Moscow 2013: Koelnmesse launches new project in Russia

imm cologne 2012 has been a complete success: 115,000 visitors from 118 countries have come to Cologne

D3 Contest: commited to the promotion of young designers from all over the world

imm cologne 2012: Lifestyle labels from Italy head the list of international exhibitor groups

imm cologne 2012 with high number of registrations: strong demand for space from Italy

interzum 2011: More exhibitors and more visitors document a great success

imm cologne 2011 exceeds all expectations: exhibitors and visitors thrilled with dual trade fair

Clear double-digit increase in the number of visitors creates positive mood in Cologne

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