Salon du Meuble Paris And IMM Cologne Step Up Their Activities - Co-operation Taps Additional Visitor Potential

Furniture World Magazine

The year 2003 will kick off with two important events for the worldwide furniture sector - the Salon du Meuble, Paris and imm cologne. The dates of these fairs have traditionally been close together, with the result that COSP and KöInMesse have now combined their activities to make buyers from outside Europe more aware of the two furniture fairs' business and cultural appeal. The objective here is to take even greater advantage of synergy potential. The co-operation between the Salon du Meuble in Paris and imm cologne is founded upon a joint communication agreement involving the USA, Canada and countries in South America and the Middle East. In these regions, press and PR work will be conducted jointly with a single message and image in mailing campaigns, advertisements, press conferences and a website. A special travel package will form the core of these activities. This package includes either the flight or the train journey (by high-speed train Thalys) from Paris to Cologne, two nights' hotel accommodation, and a combined admission ticket for both trade fairs. "We have been working on this co-operation with a view to tapping new visitor potential. In addition, we want to make it easier for buyers of furniture to visit both fairs, especially those from outside Europe", explains Rudolf Sellhorst, Vice President Furniture & Interior Design at KölnMesse. The joint initiative is a response to the important role played by the European furniture sector, which not only produces the most furniture in the world, but is also the biggest exporter, as well as serving as the largest sales market. The furniture fairs in Paris and Cologne offer the sector a unique business platform in the economic heart of Europe. Around 2,500 exhibitors - 1,400 of whom come from outside Germany and France - attend these fairs to present their products on 500,000 sq. metres of floor space to more than 200,000 visitors. In addition to a unique concentration of concepts in furniture and interior design for suppliers and buyers, the two historic and dynamic cities also offer exhibitors and visitors numerous cultural, culinary and tourist attractions. The partnership is facilitated by the excellent train, road, and flight connections that exist -between the two trade fair locations. The high-speed rail line between Paris and Cologne will be completed in a few years, and it will shorten travel times between the two cities to around two-and-a-half hours. What's more, it will then be possible to reach the two trade fair locations by train from other European business centres, such as London, Brussels, or Amsterdam, within just two to three hours. Having Fun and a Nap in the Office.