In brief

More visitors attracted to consumer goods fairs The consumer goods fairs staged in Frankfurt, Germany, over recent weeks have been marked by an appreciable increase in attendance figures. The Christmasworld event held in late January attracted 31 500 visitors, or 4.4 per cent more than one year previously. A total of 144 000 visitors attended Ambiente in mid-February, a figure that is nearly ten per cent higher than last year’s result. Around half of the visitors to each of the fairs came from abroad. Design award for Keter The “Real Barrow” by Keter Plastic has been awarded the Red Dot Design Award: Product Design 2011. This award, which is seen as one of the most prestigious international product competitions, has now been won by the company for the second year running. Designers and companies from 60 countries entered 4 433 products for the award this year. The winning product is described by the company as the first heavy-duty work wagon to combine two functions: that of the archetypal classic wheelbarrow with the L-shaped “bulldozer” shovel. The bulldozer shovel uses a reinforced metal edge to help maximize the product performance. This combination creates a multi-functional wheelbarrow, which gets a wide range of garden and other outdoor chores done with less effort than ever before. Keter Plastics, which is part of the Keter Group headquartered in Israel, is rated as one of the world’s leading manufacturers and marketers of resin-based home and garden consumer products. IPM Dubai postponed until September This year will see IPM Dubai moving to September from its long-standing March date. The fair, which the organisers, Messe Essen and Planetfair, claim is the most important horticultural show in the Gulf region, will be staged at the Airport Expo Dubai from 26 to 28 September 2011, once again in parallel to the WOP – World of Perishables. A “special mood” at the IPM Around 60 000 visitors, or approximately five per cent more than a year ago, made their way to Essen, Germany, for the IPM 2011, which came to the end of its four-day run on Friday. The 1 508 exhibitors (2010: 1 511) came from 47 countries. There was talk of a “special mood” and “even euphoria” in the organisers’ summary. Moreover, the fair organisers emphasise that associations and institutions are increasingly tending to make use of the IPM as a central venue for their meetings. One example of this is provided by EDRA, the European DIY Retail Association, which invited its members to…