Event Reports
imm cologne 2010 final report
About 100,000 visitors and a plus in exhibitors!
The imm cologne ended on Sunday, 24th January 2010 with a positive closing balance. Despite being shortened by a day, the fair managed to equal the previous year’s result with around 100,000 visitors. The number of exhibitors even slightly exceeded last year’s level. From Koelnmesse’s perspective, the high expectations of the imm cologne as one of the most important fairs for the international furniture and interior design sector have thus been met.
“The exhibitors have used their innovativeness to brave the crisis
and been rewarded by doing good business,” says Koelnmesse’s CEO Gerald
Böse. “Cologne is the business forum for the industry,” concludes the
head of the trade fair company.The positive mood that prevailed in the
halls for the entire duration of the fair was also emphasised by
Dirk-Uwe Klaas: “This was by far the most successful furniture show for
years. In the midst of the crisis, trade visitors and end consumers
alike have given us impressive confirmation that the imm cologne has
regained its former strength,” says the chief executive of the
Association of the German Furniture Industry (Verband der Deutschen
Möbelindustrie, VDM).
As announced last Friday, Koelnmesse and the VDM
as non-material sponsor of the imm cologne have extended their contract
long-term to continue this successful collaboration beyond the scope of
the imm cologne 2010.
The conditions under which the imm cologne 2010 took place could hardly have been better. The number of exhibitors grew by around one percent to 1,053 companies, with an impressive seven percent increase in the number of domestic firms taking part. Foreign companies accounted for 58 percent of exhibitors, the providers came from 51 countries.
“That makes the imm cologne one
of the few consumer goods shows in the world that has managed to remain
extremely stable in spite of the trend,” says Gerald Böse.
This pleasing result is also reflected in the number of visitors. In
contrast to last year, the number of trade visitors from abroad
increased again (+ 5.7 percent). The show reported particularly
pleasing figures for North America (+ 23 percent) and Eastern Europe (+
18 percent), two regions of vital importance for the export trade.
Strong gains were also achieved in Asia and South America. The number
of trade visitors from within Germany remained stable after a strong
increase in the previous year.
“I see this result as proof that the
various activities we have undertaken to attract national and
international visitors, such as our VIP packages, have been
successful,” says Udo Traeger, head of Koelnmesse’s Furniture, Interior
Design and Textiles division.
