A display at the DACF InnovAtion Center.

Domotex asia/ChinaFloor (DACF) gathered the industry for three days at the Shanghai New International Exhibition Center March 25-27.

According to show officials, 1,177 exhibitors, of which 253 coming from outside China and including nine country pavilions from Afghanistan, Belgium, Germany, India, Iran, Netherlands, Pakistan, Turkey, U.S.A. and 42,386 professional visitors made this year the biggest in the show’s history, with more than 1.5 million square feet of space used. Of the total visitors’ number, 31,598 came from China and 10,788 from 102 countries.

Show organizers report that the questionnaire run among both domestic and international visitors during the show revealed great satisfaction with the show visits. Even more significant are the numbers regarding the booths’ space which the exhibitors rebooked on the spot for the next 2015 show: 58.3% of the space were already confirmed by the exhibitors during the 3-days event, with an increase of 35.6% compared to the booths sales performance made onsite in 2013.

Products presented at DACF were highlighted and brought to the spotlight with special promotion campaigns launched or hosted by the show organizers. The InnovAction flooring campaign performed an impressive InnovAction center, an area where 10 innovative ideas received the interest of media, experts and visitors. The new products presented here were: Kaindl Two H20150 Sweet Gum by Beamy International Holding, Vertical by Inotec, Antron by Invista Trading, NAT Series by Shanghai Yuweng Carpet, Enchanting Cowboy by Artree, Modular Marmoleum by Forbo Shanghai, LAK Parquet Lab and Art Collection by Guangzhou Lak Building, Hybro Plus Laminate Wall and Water/Kitchen Wall Panels by Beaulieu International Group, Axmister Carpets by Weihai Haima Carpet and Crossline Rubber Flooring by Nora System.

Some of these new products stood out in terms of innovative design, materials and technology, a ccording to show organizers.

GreenStep Asia, the awards program for green flooring solutions, which was presented this year for the first time in Asia, brought to the surface most of the sustainable flooring ideas realized in Asia and displayed at the show by exhibitors committed to the healthy development of the industry. Six main green initiatives were awarded at DACF. The winners of GreenStep Asia Awards 2014 were:  Flatten Bamboo Flooring by Dasso Industrial Group that won the Green Product category award; Sustainable Manufacturing Practice at Novalisby Novalis Innovative Flooring which won the Green Process category award; and Building Green Industry Chain to Lead the Sustainable Development by Weihai Shanhua Carpet Group which was the Green Pinnacle category winner of the first edition of GreenStep Asia Awards. The three honorable mentions were assigned to Ecolink for Product, Mondo for Process and Forbo for Pinnacle.

Keeping pace with the industry trends, the show is also re-inventing itself every year. The variety of events (almost 500 totally including the ones hosted by the show organizers and the ones realized onsite by the exhibiting companies directly) is reflecting the industry’s demand for deeper knowledge and communication opportunities. A number of topics were presented during the show, such as “Change & Innovation brought by E-Commerce O2O to Flooring Products” discussed at the China Wood Flooring Retails Forum; and “From ‘Home Inn’ to be ‘In Home’ – Hotel Design Strategy Development discussed during the Hospitality Design Salon” hosted by the Shanghai Architect Fair (a co-located event of DACF).

The preparation for the 17th edition has already been started, and  DACF will return in March 2015. For more information, visit http://www.dacf.cn/.