The IAW will once again be opening its doors to international retailers and interested visitors in Halls 6 and 9 at the Cologne Exhibition Centre from 10 to 12 March. In addition to the unique selling point of the unrivalled variety of goods, the International Trade Fair for Promotional Products and Imports attracts visitors with a first-class supporting programme. On each of the trade fair’s three days, selected speakers will share their expertise at the E-Commerce Arena, which is part of the e-commerce quarter. On days one and two, a number of exciting presentations can also be expected at the Trendforum. Making the IAW not just a venue for fruitful synergies, but also a repository of knowledge for the retail industry.
If there is one important credo for the IAW, it is that of keeping its finger on the pulse. The IAW has accordingly been launching the E-Commerce Arena and Trendforum for several years now to inform exhibitors and visitors about the opportunities and pitfalls of online trading. The range of prominent speakers also leaves nothing to be desired this year:
at the E-Commerce Arena Stefan Grimm, co-founder of the RESTPOSTEN.de trading platform, will give the keynote on the first day of the trade fair on “Die Erfolgsformel für KMU-Händler – So nutzen Sie Entwicklungen im E-Commerce richtig!” [The formula for success for SME retailers – how to use developments in e-commerce correctly]. In the afternoon, Patrick Kriebel, from the social media performance agency of the same name, will explain the ultimate tricks and failures in social media advertising to us. Shortly afterwards, Dr Thomas Engels will give a free legal consultation with his lecture “Rechtliche Streitigkeiten auf und mit Amazon ausfechten!” [Legal disputes on and with Amazon]. On the second day of the trade fair, for example, Amazon SEO expert Annemarie Raluca Schuster, founder of the agency ANNYTHINKS, reveals her best tips for successful SEO measures on Amazon.
This year’s kick-off at the Trendforum on the first morning of the trade fair is the Digimobil (DiMo), an initiative by zentrada.network and Mittelstand 4.0-Kompetenzzentrum Handel at the IFH Cologne, where eight groundbreaking solutions for successful digitisation in retail will be presented. “DiMo offers the opportunity to pick up retailers with their difficulties to do with digitisation and practically demonstrate digital technologies to them. This concept is unique in Germany and is important to take digitisation to where it has not arrived yet,” explains Judith Hellhake, project manager at IFH Cologne.
The zentrada Forum at the IAW (the zentrada Forum is being held on the first day of the trade fair this year) focuses on the retail experience. zentrada Germany’s boss Martina Schimmel will kick off the event by giving tips on how assortments in the retail trade can be turned into an experience. The ideas are suitable for every budget. Teleshopping specialist Ralf Kühler will then show what online and stationary retailers can learn from teleshopping. At the end of the forum, Mario Alka from Tricoma will give an insight into how logistics can contribute to a positive customer experience. Straight after the zentrada Forum, Ralf Kühler will present the well-known Trendseller Award as usual.
This is just a small excerpt of the universal programme for the 31st IAW: During the three days, more than 30 qualified speakers will present their knowledge in the E-Commerce Arena and Trendforum. The lectures are free of charge for exhibitors and visitors.
The Arena programme is being presented and moderated by RESTPOSTEN.de in cooperation with the IAW trade fair. In recent years, the E-Commerce Arena has become another important unique selling point of the IAW. Hardly any other trade fair offers an equivalent programme free of charge for trade visitors. You should therefore definitely secure a ticket if you are interested. It is possible to reserve a ticket free of charge by clicking the following link: www.iaw-messe.de/en/visitor/tickets. Anyone who does not reserve in time will have to pay EUR 69 for a full ticket at the venue.
The complete program will be available soon by clicking the following link (only in German): www.iaw-messe.de/messe/forum
