Published on : Thursday, January 28, 2016
From 18 to 24 January 2016 at imm cologne and LivingInteriors, a total of 1,185 companies from 50 countries presented the trends in furniture and furnishings for the coming year. With around 80,000 trade visitors from 128 countries, the event recorded a slight increase (4.8%) in trade fair visitor numbers compared to 2014. Visitors from abroad accounted for 46% of total trade visitors.
There was a significant increase in the number of visitors from Europe. The development in the number of visitors from overseas was also very positive. President and Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse, Gerald Böse said, “This outcome shows that imm cologne is unmatched as a business event for the global furniture and furnishings industry.”
The leading fair for furnishing and design world, imm cologne offers a lot of new opportunities for export-oriented companies where companies from all over the world come together to do business. Managing Director of the Federal Association of the German Furniture Industry (VDM), Dirk-Uwe Klaas shared, “This is where the world comes together to do business, which offers a lot of new opportunities for export-oriented companies. At the same time, this fair duo has proved once again that business and creative inspiration are not mutually exclusive”, Böse continued. “imm cologne was a wonderful furniture show and has got us off to a very successful start to the 2016 furniture year. With so many new products and ideas, innovations and great models in all price ranges, we are confident that the German furniture industry will achieve another increase in sales this year.”
The atmosphere among visitors was characterised by business, networking and the search for trends. In the past few years, imm cologne has raised its international profile, not just among exhibitors, but also among visitors. 2016 saw a significant increase in buyers from Europe, primarily from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain and Austria. The event also registered a clear increase in the number of visitors from overseas, especially from the USA, China and India. Including estimated figures for the last fair day, a total of 120.000 visitors were inspired by the interior design worlds.
In addition to the products on show, the highlights of the 2016 trade fair once again included “Das Haus – Interiors on Stage”, a walk-through simulation of a home, which was designed this year by Sebastian Herkner, and the “Smart Home” special exhibition at LivingInteriors, where numerous companies showcased solutions for a cleverly networked home that are already available today.
The next imm cologne will be held from 16 through 22 January 2017 in Cologne – together with LivingKitchen, the international event for all topics related to the kitchen.
Tags: abroad, business, companies, design, europe, export, furnishing, furniture, imm cologne, LivingInteriors, numbers, opportunities, successful, trade, visitors
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