SleepTech Magazine Mattress, Accessories, Machinery, Raw Materials
Hall 8 had a great many mattress and other sleep product exhibits.
With an increase of around three percent in the number of visitors, Heimtextil 2015 in Frankfurt am Main once again ensured the new furnishing season got off to a successful start. A good 68,000 trade visitors (2014*: 66,265) were very pleased with the high quality of the products and designs, and kept exhibitors busy throughout the fair. The 2,759 exhibitors from 68 countries (2014[1]: 2,714 from 62 countries) were no less delighted with the orders placed by buyers. The further increase in the level of internationality – from 87 to 88 percent on the exhibitor side and from 67 to 68 percent on the visitor side – also ranks as a success factor for the trade fair. “This has been the most successful Heimtextil for many years and means we have not only extended our lead as the world’s most import – ant event for home and contract textiles but can also confirm the positive outlook for the economic climate. The significant increase in the number of affluent buyers once again demonstrates the high power of attraction exercised by our exhibitors and their products”, said a delighted Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt. Martin Auerbach, Director of the Association of the German Home Textile Industry (Verband der Deutschen Heimtextilien-In – dustrie), confirmed that, “As the world’s biggest meeting place for the sector, Heimtextil is for us the most important indicator for the latest subjects, challenges and opinions in the worldwide market for home textiles. At the fair, the German home-textile industry gave a clear demonstration of the flexibility, energy and creativity with which it is reacting to the massive changes and challenges in the international market. At the same time, our discussions with buyers, designers, artisans and retailers from all around the globe were once again an incentive and a source of inspiration.” Claus An – stoetz, Managing Director of the JAB ANSTOETZ Group, praised the atmosphere at the fair: “As in the past, this year’s Heimtextil generated numerous potential customers and orders for Gardisette and JAB ANSTOETZ Systems. The ambience at the fair was extremely good.”
Particularly high level of satisfaction among international exhibitors
The good figures were also confirmed by the very positive results of both the visitor and exhibitor polls. 95 percent of all visitors achieved their goals for the fair (an increase of two percent compared to 2014), which underscores the high standard of the companies exhibiting at Heimtextil. There were particularly large increases in the number of European visitors from Great Britain, Italy and Spain. From the Arabian Peninsula, more visitors came from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. An increased number of visitors also made their way to Frankfurt from overseas nations, such as Japan and the USA. As expected, there was a decline in the visitor numbers from the Ukraine and Russia.
New ‘Theme Park’ trend area a great attraction
The new Heimtextil ‘Theme Park’ in Hall 4.0 proved to be a highly popular highlight – in the heart of the fair: “A clear and good trend show”, said Soizic Gilibert, proprietor and designer of Cosmic Zoo design studio from France. “I was able to gain valuable inspiration from the installations. Particularly interesting for me were the ethnic themes and the wide range of exhibitor fabrics.” In addition to the main parts, such as the ‘Material Gallery’ and the ‘Color Pavilion’, particular interest was shown in the themed installations, such as the seven-meter high foot spa for the ‘hospitality’ segment and a 3D printer for making carpets in the ‘Technology Lab’. Virtual-reality glasses for the retail sector also offered new perspectives by showing ways in which retailers can present textiles virtually and thus create a symbiosis between online and offline sales. “The aim of Heimtextil was to show the trends in a more comprehensible way”, said Anne Marie Commandeur of stijlinstituut Amsterdam explaining the ‘Theme Park’ concept. The designer was responsible for the presentation of this year’s trend forecasts, which were prepared in advance of the fair by a Trendtable of renowned design agencies from six countries. “The trends should be suitable for use by different target groups and appeal to as many visitors as possible. We believe we achieved this goal and are delighted that the ‘Heimtextil Theme Park’ was so successful”, added Anne Marie Commandeur. “We are overjoyed that the ‘Heimtextil Theme Park’ has been such a great success. In fact, the ‘Theme as part of the architecture. Buyers had the opportunity to look through a selection of 1,500 innovative fabrics that were spread around the entire ‘Theme Park’.” The lectures and the cinema were also very well attended while the ‘Theme Park’ was a lively meeting place for everyone wanting to exchange ideas and information with their colleagues. “Many visitors took their shoes off to warm their feet in the warm, fragrant salt of the ‘Foot Spa’ while bunches of visitors formed at the ‘Bonbon factory’, which opened up the trends to visitors’ sense of taste and smell. The vast majority of visitors were greatly impressed and inspired by the ‘Theme Park’ and went away with the feeling of having discovered something worthwhile.”
Premium segment for the bed, bathroom and table
The premium products in Hall 11 were a source of exclusiveness, structure and orientation at Heimtextil 2015. The exhibitors in this hall made wonderful presentations and were able to reach their target group. Hall 8 had a great many mattress and other sleep product exhibits.Park” proved to be a valuable source of inspiration for the many different visitor target groups at the fair. Continuing, Anne Marie Commandeur said, “Retailers and decorators found specific examples of how the latest textiles can be used and presented in a variety of settings, e.g., hotel rooms, living rooms and shop windows. In particular, journalists, bloggers and designers took advantage of the chance to speak with the designers working and exhibiting in the ‘Theme Park’. Architects were fascinated by the proportions and the design of the rooms, and how exhibitor products could be used
Wallpaper a trend theme
The busy Hall 3.1 once again offered a transparent and inspiring ambience for interna – tional wallpaper companies. There, visitors encountered an incomparable selection of cre – ative, innovative and exclusive products from the ‘wall’ seg – ment. Customers have long since recognized that wallpaper is a very effective way of changing the whole atmosphere of a room for relatively little effort. Thus, the popularity of wallpaper is on an unstoppable upward curve. Reflecting the design presen – tations at the ’Theme Park’, Hall 3.1 was also the setting for a trend installation on the ‘wall’, a supplementary source of inspiration and information coupled with specific application examples for this segment.
Interaction and inspiration unlimited for the retail trade
As in the past, Heimtextil 2015 was also characterized by a wide-ranging program aimed at the retail trade and interior decorators, which included not only the outstanding ‘Heimtextil Insider’ and ‘Bed’n Excellence’ visitor program but also numerous lectures, guided tours for visitors, award ceremonies and trend areas. In Hall 3.0, the Decoteam showed practical examples for decorating with the latest textiles At Webchance Academy 2.0, visitors could choose from a seminar and lecture programme covering the subjects of online business and marketing. The lectures ranged from a general introduction for e-commerce newcomers to detailed disussions for retailers with prior knowledge. Heike Fritsche, Director of the German Interior Decoration Association (Zentralverband Raum und Ausstattung – ZVR), underscored the significance of Heimtextil for the interior-decoration sector: “Thanks to its unrivalled range of products, Heimtextil is a must for the interior-decoration sector. As at previous editions of the fair, we welcomed many visitors wanting to find out more about the vital subjects of quality, service and sustainability to our exhibition stand in Hall 5.1. A special highlight for our association was the première of the Knowledge Forum, a new lecture platform for expertise and discussion, which we initiated in cooperation with the German Association of Sworn Experts for Interior Decoration (Bundesverband der vereidigten Sachverständigen für Raum und Ausstattung e.V. – BSR). The Forum will be continued with different themes in the future. Moreover, our location at Heimtextil was the perfect setting for sun-protection systems.” This was confirmed by Christian Sandkühler, Marketing Manager, Kadeco: “Heimtextil is the fair for interior decorators, our main customer target group, who account for around 80 percent of our sales. We also welcomed customers from Europe, many of whom are interested in the contract business. We presented our new plissé collections, as well as numerous technical modifications and improvements in detail. Many of our new products were also to be seen in the ‘Theme Park’.
Design Live – the biggest platform for textile design
Around 200 international studios presented their latest ideas at ‘Design Live’ in Hall 4.2, and once again formed the world’s biggest platform for textile design. All profited from the central position of the exhibition hall and from the great international interest in the unrivalled spectrum of designs to be seen.
‘New & Next’ – fresh design ideas for the bed, bathroom and table
Start-ups and young designers presented product ideas by the coming generation of designers in the ‘New & Next’ area of Heimtextil 2015. Their home collections in Halls 9.0 and 11 were distinguished by fresh ideas and original creations. In this connection, some companies are also using sustainable methods of production.
Digital printing – efficient, flexible, sustainable and future-oriented
The boom in the digital-printing segment continues unabated with the quota for digital textile printing expected to rise to five percent by 2017. In view of this, more room was made available for the subject at Heimtextil 2015. Thus, key players such as Epson Europe and Hewlett Packard, were located in an eye-catching, future-oriented setting in Hall 4.0 – in the heart of the Exhibition Centre and in the immediate vicinity of the new ‘Theme Park’ trend area. The product presentations by the various exhibitors were supplemented by the European Digital Textile Conference, which was held for the second time in cooperation with WTiN (World Textile Information Network). “We welcomed an extremely international body of visitors and held good discussions with companies not only from Europe but also from Australia, Asia, the USA and Latin America”, said Richard Barrow, Senior Product Manager of Epson Europe. “Our position in Hall 4.0 was good because the nearby trends area and the Digital Print Area attracted visitors who are particularly interested in the latest design and product-technology developments.” In this connection, digital printing still has an enormous potential and – thanks to its contribution to more sustainable production through faster printing processes, significantly better color fastness, resource-friendly technology, dyes with eco-quality labels, e.g., GOTS – it is still in the early stages of market expansion.
Naturally sustainable
Sustainability is nowadays an integral aspect of the products and services at Heimtextil. Both exhibitors and visitors appreciate the orientation aids provided, such as the ‘Green Directory’ and the ‘Eco Leaves’ on selected exhibitions stands, which help them find products with an ecological background. Heimtextil has also been making its own contribution to sustainability for many years via special presentations, lectures, a variety of publications and partnerships and a competition for newcomers to the sector. The ‘Young Creations Award: Upcycling’ spotlights an important subject in the modern textile and fashion industry and was given at Heimtextil 2015 for the third time to young creative personalities and their original upcycling objects for the interior. Heimtextil visitors could see the most creative ideasata special exhibition in Hall 4.2. “The ‘Young Creations Award: Upcycling’ is a good opportunity for young designers wanting to become self-employed. And this is where the Heimtextil fair in Frankfurt helps”, explained Prof Jan Armgardt of Aachen University of Applied Sciences and member of the ‘Young Creations Award: Upcycling’ jury. “Young, up-andcoming designers are called upon to use production waste as the raw material for their ideas. The result is really interesting new products.” This year, the spectrum of activities oriented towards sustainability at Heimtextil was supplemented by the ‘Green Village’, a platform for label organisations, auditors and interest groups in this segment. The ‘Green Village’ provided visitors with information and brought greater transparency to the label landscape.
Heimtextil to begin a day earlier from 2016
Next year’s Heimtextil will begin and end a day earlier, on the Tuesday and Friday respectively. With this change, the Heimtextil management is complying with the wishes of many exhibitors and visitors. “For the retail trade, Saturday is an important sales day. In this age of increasing online shopping, it is important that bricks-and-mortar trade retailers can offer their customers firstclass products and services. And, generally speaking, the most important day for this is Saturday”, explained Detlef Braun. The next Heimtextil in Frankfurt am Main will take place from Tuesday, 12 January, to Friday, 15 January 2016.
