– Clear early signs of a successful, highly international DOMOTEX 2014
– Innovations@DOMOTEX to highlight fresh ideas
Hannover. DOMOTEX, the world’s leading tradeshow for the floor coverings industry, next runs from 11 to 14 January in Hannover, Germany, where it will once again shine as the premier shop window for new trends and innovative lifestyle design.
Some 1,400 companies from 60 nations will converge on the Hannover Exhibition Center to showcase their latest products and new collections. Year after year, DOMOTEX picks up on key trends and innovations and internationally sets the tone in flooring as in intrinsic element of interior design. And with its new Innovations@DOMOTEX showcase, the upcoming DOMOTEX will give superlative exposure to top product innovations and special designs, with a major pre-show PR campaign on top. “DOMOTEX has a one-of-a-kind lineup in store for its international trade audience,” said Dr. Jochen Köckler as the responsible Managing Board member at Deutsche Messe, the company which organizes and stages DOMOTEX. “All the market leaders in each of the show’s product segments will be there. Our exhibitors and visitors are in for a highly innovative and very international showcase in January.”
The whole world of flooring at one convenient location
The DOMOTEX show’s success as a touchstone of key trends lies in its comprehensive coverage. The event features each and every segment of the international floor coverings industry at one convenient time and place, providing a showcase that spans everything from textile and resilient floor coverings for the residential and contract furnishing sectors, to carpets, rugs and laminate flooring, to laying, care and application solutions. The resilient floor coverings display area in particular has gained in popularity over the years and in 2014 will feature a broad array of exciting designs and materials.
DOMOTEX is a global business platform which hosts and features the entire world of flooring markets. Its exhibitors can expect to encounter some 40,000 trade visitors from more than 80 countries. A good 61 percent of these visitors come from outside Germany, and 90 percent of them have a say in their organizations’ buying decisions. For visitors from the wholesale and retail flooring sectors, the skilled trades and the architecture and interior design professions, DOMOTEX 2014 will once again serve as a key stepping-stone to new contacts and business growth.
Innovations@DOMOTEX: dedicated showcase for the latest highlights
Next year, DOMOTEX will be geared more strongly than ever towards current flooring industry trends with a new Innovations@DOMOTEX format designed to put exhibitors’ latest product innovations on center stage. The initiative includes a strong pre-show campaign to focus extra attention on current mega-trends even before the gates open on DOMOTEX. This is a plus for visitors, who can research key trends ahead of the fair and perfectly plan their agendas so they arrive fully informed, with a clear idea of where to go to find the products and solutions that interest them most.
Innovations@DOMOTEX will put the spotlight on selected product innovations in the Fitted Carpets, Resilient Floor Coverings, Parquet and Laminate Flooring and Modern Hand-made Carpets display categories. The product innovations that will feature under the Innovations@DOMOTEX banner were selected in mid-October by an expert jury headed by the noted German industrial designer Stefan Diez.
The initiative will be spearheaded by special display zones – the Innovations@DOMOTEX areas in halls 6, 9 and 17. The Innovations@DOMOTEX areas are being designed by the internationally acclaimed German architect Jürgen Mayer H. The idea is that visitors looking for ideas and inspiration will be able to head straight to these special areas for a condensed look at the hottest innovations. From there, they will be directed to the featured vendors’ exhibition stands where they can find out more about the products that have caught their attention. The Innovations@DOMOTEX areas will also feature a platform for expert dialogue plus a discussion program that will address a range of important floor-covering topics and issues. In addition, each area will offer refreshments and catering, thereby providing a convivial, relaxed setting for B2B networking and expert dialogue. All of these features mean that the Innovations@DOMOTEX areas will be one of the main highlights at DOMOTEX 2014. “Only at DOMOTEX can visitors explore and discover all the latest innovations with such convenience and ease,” explains Dr. Köckler. “The latest design highlights, spectacular patterns and eye-popping materials – DOMOTEX is taking its trailblazing focus to a whole new level.”
Deutsche Messe’s DOMOTEX promotion strategy is no less inventive. Selected exhibitor innovations from all product categories will feature prominently in all DOMOTEX promotion – before, during and after the fair. This includes a comprehensive pre-show visitor recruitment campaign. These initiatives will be flanked by an attractive Innovations@DOMOTEX Guide (in printed form) to help visitors to map out their DOMOTEX agendas well in advance. The information contained in the guide is of course also available on the DOMOTEX 2014 website.
Rallying point for international contract business
With its winning mix of lectures and presentations of innovative materials for the contract business, DOMOTEX is also a must for architects, interior designers, interior decorators and furnishing professionals on the lookout for fresh and creative ideas for their design palettes. The Innovations@DOMOTEX showcase will highlight current flooring trends and new product developments for the diverse range of application areas encompassed by the healthcare, catering, hospitality and education sectors. Thanks to the breadth and quality of the innovations on show, DOMOTEX is sure to put in a strong performance worthy of its status as a leading professional platform for the international contract furnishing sector.
Wood Flooring Summit 2014 heading for new heights
The Wood Flooring Summit will be another major visitor magnet at DOMOTEX 2014. Following its successful premiere in 2012, this special event will once again play host to the leading lights of the international parquet and laminate flooring sector. Located in Hall 9, it will feature a central exhibition area, a forum for presentations and panel discussions, plus a catered lounge area and after-work-party event for informal networking.
The Innovations@DOMOTEX area in Hall 9 will be an integral part of the Wood Flooring Summit. There, visitors can vote for their personal favorites among the parquet and wood flooring innovations on show, with the winners of the “Best Liked by DOMOTEX Visitors” prize receiving their awards during the fair in the presence of an international trade audience and representatives of the flooring and furnishings sector press. Also among the attractions at the Wood Flooring Summit will be a presentation by the influential trend researcher and futurist Matthias Horx from the Future Institute (Zukunftsinstitut) on 11 January. Horx will outline the Future Institute’s latest study, “The Future of Home Living – Central Trends Through to 2025.”
Next year’s DOMOTEX will also be devoting greater attention to outdoor living, with an extensive offering of innovative floor coverings for outdoor use on display in halls 8 and 9. All up, the fair’s tally of manufacturers of parquet and laminate flooring and outdoor flooring solutions is expected to top 200.
Skilled Trades Hub ‑ Hands-on expertise for flooring practitioners
In Hall 7, the Skilled Trades Hub will be playing its part in helping to keep parquet recliners, floor layers, painters, interior outfitters and their suppliers up to date with the latest laying and application techniques and tools. The Hall 7 lineup also includes the supporting Skilled Trades Forum with its focus on the latest real-world issues and challenges being faced by flooring practitioners. Among much else, visitors to the forum will learn correct laying techniques for innovative designer floor coverings and how to breathe new life into old floorboards. The forum will also feature a presentation on effective marketing for flooring tradespeople plus a special quiz in which visitors will get to demonstrate their knowledge to an expert quizmaster.
