Plus on exhibitor side only

The 2014 International Hardware Fair came to an end with a 6.5 per cent fall in visitor numbers compared with the previous staging of the event in 2012. Some 50 000 trade visitors from 136 countries used the four-day fair in Cologne to get hold of the latest information about new products and services in the hardware sector. The number of exhibitors, on the other hand, saw an increase of 4.5 per cent to 2 783 suppliers from 53 countries. “We are pleased about growth of 4.5 per cent on the supplier side in comparison with the previous event. What is more, the number of trade visitors remained stable, and there was even an increase in terms of the degree of internationality,” is how Katharina C. Hamma, managing director of Koelnmesse, commented on the overall results of the fair. Tools, industrial supplies, fixing and fastening technology and hardware were displayed on an exhibition space of 142 000 m², along with building and DIY products. The fair notched up the greatest growth in the tools and industrial supplies segments. According to the organisers’ version, the exhibitors were satisfied with the quality of the visitors. “The international decision-makers from trade and industry were there,” is how the official final report describes the widespread tenor of the event. This was also confirmed by a neutral visitor survey, according to the fair organisers: almost 73 per cent of respondents were involved in making purchasing decisions, and 44 per cent had the final say.