Mood of optimism as trade fair closes – Clear rise in visitor numbers / Healthy sales of fan merchandise and garden accessories
The IAW Spring Fair – the International Trade Fair for Promotional Products – registered an encouraging trend in the number of visitors when it closed its gates in Cologne yesterday. Ulrich Zimmermann, managing director of Nordwestdeutsche Messegesellschaft, the trade fair organizing company, said he was “delighted to report that we have passed the 6,000 mark”. He was also pleased to note the large proportion of foreign suppliers. One in four of the 192 exhibitors came from outside Germany – and half of them were attending the IAW for the first time.
Business at the fair was dominated by sales of fan merchandise for the forthcoming FIFA World Cup. Despite an exceptionally cold winter, sales of garden furniture and other garden items were extremely good. When these products appear in the stores in the next few days and weeks, they will definitely attract increased footfall. The excellent response at the 11th IAW lifted the mood among exhibitors and visitors from Germany and further afield. “Many of the exhibitors, including most of the first-time foreign exhibitors, have already booked stand space for the Autumn Fair from 28 to 30 September”, reported Kerstin Manke, IAW Project Manager. “In fact, a large number of them have even decided to increase the size of their stands next time. This result has further consolidated the trade fair’s reputation as Europe’s leading event for this sector. Another indicator of this is the continued increase in the number of foreign visitors, in particular visitors and buyers from Eastern Europe and the Benelux countries, a trend which is greatly appreciated by all exhibitors.
The IAW – International Trade Fair for Promotional Products is the biggest event for orders and sales of promotional and trend-led products in Germany. This major showcase for promotional products from every sector and product category takes place twice a year, thus serving as a focus for key buyers from consumer markets, discounters, supermarket chains, buyers’ organizations, mail order companies and independent traders, as well as furniture and DIY stores. The trade fair is organized by Nordwestdeutsche Messegesellschaft Bremen-Hannover mbH, Oldenburg.
