Heimtextil 2012: Visitor and Exhibitor Statements

Four days of the fair –  and many, many voices. At Heimtextil, 2012 visitors and exhibitors expressed their views on the events at the fair and their personal experiences. Read their opinions here...

A.S. Création, Germany (Hall 3.1) – Stefan Gauger, Marketing Manager
“My impression of the fair is very good. We met all our customers on Wednesday and Thursday. We need Heimtextil for our customer-relationship activities because the fair attracts all our international partners. For us, Heimtextil is the most important fair in the world. Hence, we plan our participation here with a view to the long run. And, perhaps, we will even have a bigger stand next year.”

Beddinghouse, The Netherlands (Hall 11.0) – Jan Harmsen, Sales Manager Europe
“That was the best fair ever. Yes, we held very good discussions. Visitor quality was very high – not only with regard to European visitors but also to those from other parts of the world. Heimtextil is the only fair that has a genuine worldwide impact. I never thought we would take so many orders, especially from whole­salers.”

Billerbeck Betten-Union, Germany (Hall 8.0) – Friedrich Ermert, CEO
“We had a good location here in Hall 8 and were able to welcome numerous visitors. We met the customers we wanted to reach. There was a particularly large number of Asian visitors, which enabled us to boost our export business. Our visitors were very enthusiastic about our presentation and products.”

British Velvets, Great Britain (Hall 4.1) – Keith Prytharch, CEO
“British Velvets launched the second range of bamboo velvet fabrics whereby there is no doubt that the emphasis is on environmental friendliness. This is my 25th fair. Heimtextil is important for us. Ex­ports account for 50 percent of our normal business – and 95 per­cent of this is conducted at Heimtextil. We want long-term regular customers, and we find them here. The number of visitors was very good and we were all kept very busy. The visitors came from all over the world with East Europe being particularly well represented. My customers who live just around the corner in England also come to Frankfurt to see us at the fair. This is where the whole sector gets together.”

El-Amria Spinning & Weaving, Egypt (Hall 9.0) – Mahassen Hassan Ibrahim, Export General Manager
“We have been Heimtextil exhibitors for ten years and the fair is an absolute must for us. We are very pleased with our results here this year, too. The organisation by Messe Frankfurt is perfect. No other fair and exhibition company offers a better service.”

Elitis, France (Hall 3.1) – Patrice Marraud des Grottes, CEO
“Our products are positioned in the luxury segment. Here, we ex­clusively present new products. Only at Heimtextil can we reach East European customers, a target group that is very important for us. That’s why we are here. That’s why we will be back again – and then with a bigger exhibition stand.”

Erfal Erler, Germany (Hall 5.1) – Jörg Erler, CEO
“From my point of view, visitor quality was very good because very important people came to our stand, e.g., people from the associa­tions, key accounts and other decision makers. Our focus is on the German-speaking region and Heimtextil is perfect for this. Our par­ticipation in the fair is oriented towards the long term. With regard to the future of the sector, I am cautiously optimistic. In distinction to many other companies, we are profiting from the environ­mental changes.”

Euro Comfort Group (Badenia, Irisette, etc.), Germany (Hall 8.0) – Thomas Busskamp, CEO:
“As exhibitors of many years’ standing, we presented bedding with fibre filling, with natural fibres and down, as well as pillows, mattresses and frames. The number of visitors – and their response to our products – has been excellent. We have been able to increase our export share. The visitors included dealers, as well as represen­ta­tives of discounters and wholesalers, so we were able to take a number of orders. We will certainly be back again next year.”

friedola Gebr. Holzapfel, Germany (Hall 3.1 & 9.0) – Martin C. Derin, Sales Manager, Technology / Industry
“We are very pleased with the course of business at the fair and the number of visitors to our exhibition stand. There were actually more visitors than last year, which is very good. We are regular Heimtextil exhibitors and it continues to be a good and indispensible inter­national marketing platform for us.”

Group Rulinen, Russia (Hall 9.0) – Natalie Chumichyova, Export Manager
“This year’s Heimtextil has been more successful than the last fair. 40 percent of our contacts are new customers. The level of inter­nationality here is impressive. Most of our new customers come from Germany, Italy, The Netherlands and Spain. This is our third time here and we will certainly be back again.”

Heco Textilverlag, Germany (Hall 3.0) – Burkhard Koop, CEO
“This year’s Heimtextil was distinguished by quality rather than quantity. There were fewer German customers. However, the customers who did come were very good. All in all, I can say that this is the best Heimtextil in the 13 years we have been exhibiting here.”

Ladelle, Australia (Hall 9.0) – Andrew Wilson, General Manager Sales & Marketing
“We are very pleased with this year’s event. There were more visitors than last year and we have made numerous interesting new contacts. Customer quality was very good and, although we have already been able to fill our order books, we are still looking forward to some good post-fair business. Germany is a very important market for us. This is our second time at Heimtextil and we have also opened a showroom in Germany this year. In addition to many German-speaking visitors, we also welcomed numerous buyers from the USA and Europe.”

Linen House, Australia (Hall 11.0) – Vanessa McCormick, Product Manager
“We had a good number of visitors to our stand and plenty of op­portunities to find new business partners. We had inquiries from East Europe, Russia and Poland, as well as from Korea and other Asian nations – a good blend of dealers and distributors. There was even a representative of a home-shopping channel. And I believe we have found a sales partner for Germany. All in all, it was a good and busy time. Yes, taking part was a success.”

Pavilion Textiles, Great Britain (Hall 4.1) – Matthew Crew, Brand Designer and Marketing Manager:
“We used Heimtextil for the international launch of ‘Vanilla’, our new decorative-fabric brand for heavy curtain fabrics, and are very, very pleased with the results. Now, we can really begin selling this product combination on a worldwide basis. At Heimtextil, we reached new markets in 45 countries alone during the first two days!”

Peppa Grace (New@More), Germany (Hall 11.1) – Steffanie Plikat, Designer and CEO
“Our stand was well positioned and surrounded by super exhibitors in the attractive Hall 11. I was very pleased by the quality of visitors to our stand and was able to take several orders. The support for us as a start-up company provided by Messe Frankfurt was really good. The stand was fully integrated into Hall 11 and New@More proved to be an excellent concept.”

Sander, Germany (Hall 11.0) – Bert Sander, CEO
“Our average order was significantly higher this year, which meant double-digit growth for us. One of the main reasons for this is the high visitor quality. We conducted many very good discussions, especially with the German trade. The organisation of the fair, the setting-up phase and everything else has been outstanding.”

Sarev, Turkey (Hall 11.0) – Erdal Deniz, General Manager:
“Sarar is one of the world’s biggest brands for men’s fashions and made its debut at this year’s Heimtextil with Sarev, the label for home textiles. We were naturally anxious beforehand. However, our presentation has been highly successful. We had visitors from all over – from Europe, as well as Brazil, Chile, the USA, Canada, Australia and Africa. Everything went like clockwork. Great interest was shown in the products by our designer Göksen Gökgezer. And there was a super echo from our six different designs, each of which reflects a different lifestyle. We will certainly be back next year – with even greater expectations.”

Vorwerk Teppichwerke, Germany (Hall 3.0) – Stefan Peetz, Product Manager:
“We were pleasantly surprised by the flood of visitors – just as our customers were pleasantly surprised by our return to Heimtextil. We were fully occupied from the first day and were busy up to the last minute. Here, we found our target group – interior decorators – as expected. We are delighted with the echo. We have also made some new contacts with both national and international buyers. We will very probably be back again.”

Welter Manufaktur für Wandunikate, Germany (Hall 3.1) – Ulrich Welter, proprietor
“I am very pleased with Heimtextil. We made many good contacts and met the visitors we wanted to meet. Additionally, we could present our products well and were also able to persuade a number of people to work with us. Heimtextil gives us the chance to meet our most important customers in the space of just four days. We make luxury products so Heimtextil is the right platform for us. I was positively surprised to meet more German customers this year. Altogether, we have been exhibiting here for 16 years and will be back again next year because I consider Heimtextil to be the world’s most important trade fair for wall coverings. You can see this from the international customers and the decision makers who attend. And I think many other exhibitors share this opinion.”