Germany: Around 70,000 visitors from 135 countries at Heimtextil
Around 70,000 visitors
from 135 countries witnessed design innovations by 2,975 international
exhibitors at Heimtextil, the international trade fair for home and contract textiles. The fair which
saw urban design becoming the hot topic also provided an international platform
for more than 50 young designers and start-ups with its newcomer programme.
“With growth on both the visitor and exhibitor
side, Heimtextil has convinced across the board and underpinned its unique
position as a world-leading trade fair,” says Detlef Braun, CEO of Messe
Frankfurt. Around 70,000 visitors, including representatives from the retail
and wholesale trade, interior decorators, design, architecture and interior
design, the hotel industry and industry, benefited from the fair’s unique range
of products and inspiration.
For the eighth time in a row, the trade fair, held
during January 9-12, increased the number of participating companies; these now
total 2,975 international exhibitors. In addition to global market leaders and
industry leaders, Heimtextil also provided an international platform for more
than 50 young designers and start-ups with its newcomer programme “New &
Next”. One of the focal points of the trade fair was contract furnishing and
the associated focus was on the target group of architects and property
planners.
“For us it was a fantastic trade fair première,”
says Tom Puukko, owner of the wallpaper manufacturer Feathr from Finland. “We
were able to generate new and excellent contacts from all parts of the world. A
special highlight for us was a group of architects who stopped by our stand,
enabling us to present our products to them.” With a first-rate lecture programme, topic-specific
guided tours and a prominent presentation area, Heimtextil expanded its
commitment to textile contract furnishings. Numerous architects and interior
designers, hoteliers and furnishers took advantage of the diverse information
and networking opportunities.
“I considered a visit to Heimtextil as a valuable
incentive for my work, that is for the interior furnishings and design of shops
and restaurants at the airport. I was able to make interesting contacts and
discover exciting, very high-quality products,” says Jun-Florian Peine, project
manager Retail Development Fraport. In the immediate vicinity of the new area,
carpet suppliers were able to present themselves as part of a joint
presentation by the Association of German Home Textiles Manufacturers (Heimtex)
entitled “Carpet by Heimtex”. Volker Knieß, responsible for International Sales
at Toucan-T, said: “We found the new concept of a joint presentation
interesting and are very satisfied with how the fair went. With the main focus
on acoustics, flexibility and design, we appeal particularly to the architects
who we encounter here at Heimtextil. The guided tours for architects in
particular bring us into contact with this target group and open up interesting
contacts for us.”
With the “Theme Park” trend area, Heimtextil gave
an outlook on the design and furnishing trends of the future. Under the title
“The Future is urban”, international design experts visualised the megatrend of
urbanisation. Based on the statement that more than half of the world’s population
already lives in major cities, the area not only showcased the colour and
material trends of the coming season, but above all real future prospects in
the field of textile interior design. The London-based studio FranklinTill
received great acclaim for a trend presentation that was both progressive as
well as tangible and clear.
Glamour factor was also once again present at
Heimtextil. Barbara Schöneberger for Tapetenfabrik Gebr Rasch and “die Maus”
for P+S International presented their first wallpaper collections. Enie van de
Meiklokjes and Alexander Herrmann enriched the DecoTeam’s programme with
workshops. And Laura Chaplin, granddaughter of the world-famous comedian, as
brand ambassador for the Cotton made in Africa label, drew attention to the use of
sustainable cotton in the textile industry.
Based on discussions with exhibitors and visitor
surveys, Messe Frankfurt has developed a new Heimtextil concept for 2019. “From
the perspective of buyers in particular, we are repositioning Heimtextil 2019
and grouping themes and product groups according to target groups. In this way,
synergies can be better recognised and exploited,” says Olaf Schmidt, vice
president Textiles and Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt. In addition,
the demand for stand space on the exhibitor side has grown sharply in some
product groups in recent years. The next Heimtextil, international trade fair for home
and contract textiles, will be held in Frankfurt during January 8-11, 2019.
Source: The Washington Post, U.S.A
Tuesday, 23 January 2018