Although the Domotex 2015 season, which will take place Jan. 17 to 20, 2015, is eight months away, it is already generating exhibitor support according to Jochen Köckler, the managing board member at Deutsche Messe in charge of the trade fair.

“After this year’s highly successful show, the world’s carpet and flooring providers are seizing on the opportunity to get their new season’s products and collections in front of an international trade audience at Domotex 2015," said Köckler.

“The positive exhibitor feedback on the new Innovations@Domotex showcase and the excellent exhibitor registration response at this early stage are strong indicators of a great Domotex in the making for 2015,” Köckler added.

High level of international participation

Next year, Domotex will again enjoy strong international participation, with more than 1,300 exhibitors expected from around 60 nations, according to show officials. Spread across 12 exhibition halls, they will showcase their excellence, innovative flair and creativity in a product landscape that will encompass everything from textile and resilient floor coverings to parquet and laminate flooring to carpets in an array of materials, colors and designs. Currently, two thirds of the available exhibition space is booked.

New platform for innovations in application, installation and cleaning technology

Innovations@Domotex premiered successfully at Domotex 2014 and will be back again this coming January. “The Innovations@Domotex showcase was extremely well received by the carpets and flooring industry. It gave exhibitors a series of display zones of distinctive architecture (the Innovations@Domotex areas) where they could stage their innovations in textile and resilient floor coverings, parquet and laminate flooring and modern hand-made carpets to maximum effect. The added exposure generated by this was a boon to subsequent talks with promising leads at the exhibitors’ main stands,” Köckler said. The exhibits for Innovations@Domotex were selected by an expert jury and published in a special guide in the run-up to the fair. This enabled visitors to carefully research the innovations of interest to them and plan their visit more effectively.

In 2015, the Innovations@Domotex showcase will be extended to include an additional product category: application, installation and cleaning technology. Köckler: “This is yet another example of Domotex' pivotal role as the trendsetter of the carpet and flooring industry. Domotex is rolling out this special platform to exhibitors of application tools, care solutions, and laying materials and equipment so that they too can generate added exposure for their product innovations.”

The expansion of Innovations@Domotex has been welcomed by providers of application, installation and cleaning solutions. “Each year, our sector comes up with new machines, solutions and ideas. So we’re delighted that Domotex will now feature a dedicated innovations platform for us,” said Uwe Gruber, CEO of MAPEI GmbH, Germany. MAPEI GmbH is part of the MAPEI group, an international manufacturer of sealants, adhesives and other chemical products for installing wall and floor coverings.

Matching supply with demand

This year, Innovations@Domotex was very effective at helping visitors navigate Domotex. It also boosted the visitor turnout at participating exhibitors’ main stands, resulting in a marked increase in quality B2B contacts. This pleasing result was due in part to the allure of the high-profile Innovations@Domotex Talks, and in part to the format’s Guided Tours, in which architecture experts led visitors from the special display zones directly to the display stands of the participating exhibitors. “We’re definitely keen to take part again next time. It’s a big thing for us, because in our industry we have a reputation to keep as a driver of innovation,” commented Paul Lingg, of Li&Co AG, Switzerland. 

Due to a combination of innovation, international reach, professionalism and focus on floor coverings, Domotex is also ideal for providers in the contract business. This includes architects, planners, designers and interior architects, for whom the Innovations@Domotex areas will again be one of the main attractions. In the course of experiencing the latest designs and products first-hand, they can gather fresh inspiration for their work, talk to manufacturers and find solutions for their current projects. “I’m always on the lookout for new products and ideas – things that are usually hard to find. That’s why I love visiting Domotex, because here, everything is in one convenient location,” said Marc Clemenceau Bailly, of Gage/Clemenceau Architects, New York.

DOMOTEX Worldwide

Deutsche Messe’s strategy of building a local presence in the world’s fast-growing markets to open up new business development opportunities for exporters also extends to the carpet and floor coverings industry: Domotex Gaziantep (May 26 to 29 May in Gaziantep, Turkey, targets trade visitors from Turkey and the Middle East. Domotex asia/ChinaFloor (March 24 to 26, 2015 in Shanghai) is the biggest international trade fair for carpets and floor coverings in the Asia-Pacific Region. Domotex  Russia (2015 in Moscow) is aimed at the Russian-speaking countries.

For more information, visit domotex.de.