Events

New structure for Heimtextil
The Heimtextil fair is being held in Frankfurt from 12 to 15 January 2005 under the motto “Imagine new dimensions”. Through doing away with the Sunday when the fair was open to the public, it has been possible to develop a new structuring plan for the halls, which is designed to enable visitors to find their way around more easily. This restructuring aims to integrate product categories, to expand them and to bring together product areas that were previously separated.
The categories represented by the 3 000+ exhibitors include furnishing fabrics, curtains, accessories, shade equipment, carpets, floor coverings, sleep systems, bedding, table and kitchen linen, table decoration and bathroom textiles. For the first time the individual product areas will be indicated by pictograms in 2005 as another means of helping visitors to find their way. The last event saw the registration of 92 000 trade visitors from 113 different countries.
Key fair in the floor coverings sector
The expectation is for 1 080 exhibitors to attend Domotex 2005 in Hanover between 15 and 18 January and to occupy a net exhibition space of 83 500 m². This compares with the 1 185 firms that exhibited on 88 039 m2 in 2004. Seventy-five per cent of the exhibitors are coming from abroad (55 countries). Leading the pack when it comes to national participation by the amount of space occupied are Belgium, Turkey, the Netherlands and India. It is expected that there will once more be strong international participation on the visitor side as well. Around 60 per cent of the 46 578 trade visitors came from abroad in 2004. On display at the event will be flexible floor coverings, carpets, parquet and other wooden flooring, along with laminates. The forthcoming Domotex will see a number of exhibitors showing natural stone floors and ceramic tiles, following the successful premiere at the last event.
DIY defined anew
Frank Loncar, President Global Sourcing at Lowe’s, will attend the International BHB Congress in March 2005 in the capacity of keynote speaker. His company, Lowe’s, which is based in the USA, is the second largest DIY retailer in the world. The theme of the congress, to be held on the premises of Koelnmesse on 8 and 9 March, is “Redefining DIY – what will be the defining characteristics of tomorrow’s DIY industry in Europe?”. The conference will focus its interest on the opportunities and perspectives offered by the market for renovation and modernisation. In parallel…