[PDF] Press release: Exhibitors and visitors thrilled with dual trade - imm cologne 2011 exceeds all expectations [http://www.lifepr.de?boxid=210716]

1. Press Release
No. 25 Final Report
Exhibitors and visitors thrilled with dual trade
fair – imm cologne 2011 exceeds all expectations
• 138,000 visitors from 128 countries imm cologne 2011
18.-23.01.2011
• Extremely international and high-quality
visitor structure www.imm-cologne.com
• Excellent mood amongst the
1,213 providers from 48 countries Contact:
Markus Majerus
Telephone
On 23rd January 2011, the imm cologne and LivingKitchen in Cologne drew + 49 221 821-2627
Telefax
to a close with an excellent result. Including estimates for the final day of
+ 49 221 821-3417
the fair, the dual event drew around 138,000 visitors to Cologne – an e- Mail
increase of 38 percent. m.majerus@koelnmesse.de
“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 Koelnmesse1GmbH
Messeplatz
great signal for the consumer goods trade fairs in Germany during the 50679 Köln
P.O. Box 21 07 60
course of the year and convincing confirmation that trade fairs are a 50532 Köln
highly efficient marketing tool,” sums up the trade fair’s visibly satisfied Germany
Tel. +49 221 821-0
commander-in-chief Gerald Böse. “We have all become part of a success Fax +49 221 821-2574
info@koelnmesse.com
story called imm cologne and LivingKitchen. Cologne is the absolute focal www.koelnmesse.com
point of the furniture industry again, especially when it comes to the
Executive Board:
business side of things, as well as home to the international kitchen Gerald Böse (Chief Executive Officer)
furniture industry,” adds the CEO of Koelnmesse. Dirk Uwe Klaas, Chief Oliver P. Kuhrt
Herbert Marner
Executive of the Association of the German Furniture Industry (Verband
Chairman of the Supervisory Board:
der Deutschen Möbelindustrie), came to a similar conclusion: “It was by
Mayor of the City of Cologne
far the best furniture fair we’ve had in the last 10 years: more visitors, Jürgen Roters
more contracts signed and an excellent mood. An excellent start to the Place of business and (legal) domicile:
2011 furniture year for our national furniture industry and a huge success Cologne - Amtsgericht Köln, HRB 952
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

2. from visitors during the entire week of the fair ensured beaming faces on the Page
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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.
An excellent trade fair for everybody involved
“The fair is meeting with an excellent reception from visitors, the aisles are full,
the mood is good, business is booming. Cologne has become a beacon,” was
the conclusion in the media. Exhibitors took a similar view.
• “Excellent attendance, happy customers, a fantastic mood,” said Leo
Lübke, CEO of COR Sitzmöbel and interlübke.
• “It was a great fair. The hall was full, the frequency was just like in the
old days, all our customers were there and we were able to gain new
customers as well, especially from the Netherlands and Belgium. And
opening the fair to the public on the Friday – a day earlier than in the past –
was the right decision too. And last but not least, we think it’s very good to
have an international kitchen fair in Cologne again. To cut a long story short:
we couldn’t be happier and are already looking forward to next year.” Gero
Walter Frommholz, Managing Partner at Walter Frommholz GmbH & Co.
KG.
• The mood was excellent in the new pure textile segment too: “We’re
very satisfied with the way the fair has gone. In our opinion, the addition of
selected international textile brands to the imm cologne in Hall 11 was a
great success and met with a very positive reception from visitors.
Customers took plenty of time to look around the pure textile section in

3. Hall 11. For us, the trade fair was very definitely worthwhile,” says Klaus Page
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Scharf, Sales Manager at SAHCO Hesslein GmbH & Co. KG.
• “As far as we are concerned, the imm cologne is the most important
trade show and we are very satisfied with the way the fair went this year.
We launched our new products very successfully and were delighted to
welcome a great many of our trading partners here in Cologne, not only
from Germany and Europe but from America and Asia as well. We’re
particularly delighted that the entire trade fair has made huge progress in
terms of presentation. What’s on offer in the halls is very upscale,
interesting concepts like pure village or pure textile have been presented
very successfully and there were crowds of visitors. That was very inspiring
for everybody and the manufacturers were exuding a lot more optimism
again.” Patrice Bert, CEO of Roset Möbel GmbH.
• “We are very satisfied. You can sense that the mood has improved
again. 2010 was already a good year for the sector in Germany and the
trade fair has shown that dealers and customers are reacting very positively
to the improved situation. Visitor frequency at our stand was really good,
especially from Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. And the
presentation of our new products was definitely a help, of course. In that
respect, we consider the results very positive.” Andrea Giachetti, Regional
Manager, MDF ITALIA S.p.A.
The extremely good mood at the imm cologne was reflected in the halls of the
LivingKitchen fair as well.
• “What we’ve experienced in Cologne in the last few days speaks
volumes. I’m particularly delighted that the kitchen has returned to
Cologne with such a spectacular sensation,” sums up Hans Strothoff,
Chairman of the MHK Group.
• “We are extraordinarily pleased with the way the fair has gone and the
result. The response from dealers and visitors from Germany and
abroad was very positive. And the number of visitors far exceeded our
expectations,” says Roland Hagenbucher, CEO of Siemens-Electrogeräte
GmbH.

4. Page
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The trends
• When it comes to covering fabrics, plain colours dominate. Colourful
stripes or abstract graphics are popular choices for accentuation. White
remains the megacolour. In the leather segment, thick, barely treated
natural leathers with a tactile, inviting character are particularly
popular.
• LED lighting technology has made its breakthrough. The majority of
wardrobes, wall units, sideboards and display cabinets are being
equipped with this energy-saving lighting technology. LED fulfils two
functions: brightness and atmosphere.
• Sustainability is playing an increasingly important role in furniture
construction too. Wood is becoming more and more popular, not only
for storage and kitchen furniture but for comfortable chairs and
loungers and as a visible component of sofas. Wood is reclaiming its
former status in the furniture sector. One striking development: the
many items featuring untreated oak, sometimes even complete with
bark.
imm cologne // LivingKitchen in figures:
1,213 companies from 48 countries participated in the imm cologne //
LivingKitchen 2011. They included 521 exhibitors and 32 additionally
represented companies from Germany as well as 614 exhibitors and 46
additionally represented companies from abroad. Foreign companies accounted
for 54 percent of exhibitors.*
* All figures are calculated according to the guidelines of the Society for the
Voluntary Control of Fair and Exhibition Statistics (Gesellschaft zur Freiwilligen
Kontrolle von Messe- und Ausstellungszahlen, FKM).

5. Further information: Page
5
www.imm-cologne.de
www.purevillage.de
www.livingkitchen-cologne.de
imm cologne
16 – 22nd January 2012
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