Cologne Fair Addresses Global Sourcing At Show And Impact Of Weak Dollar

Furniture World Magazine

For many members of the furniture industry, 2008 will start in Germany at imm Cologne. Scheduled to take place Jan. 14-20 at Koelnmesse, the market is widely regarded as the global business hub for furniture and interior design sector. That¹s because imm Cologne offers international buyers features that other markets don’t. According to Markus Majerus, Press Officer at Koelnmesse, “First of all, imm Cologne is more international in scope than any other furnishings trade show in the world. We structure the show into nine segments by furniture type, as well as price point. Buyers find every type of product from bedroom, kitchen, living room, dining room, mattresses and upholstered furniture to solid wood and ready-to-assemble furniture. All together, we will host 1,300 exhibitors from five continents. We hear from exhibitors that imm Cologne is a place where business is done and exhibitors walk away with a good idea of what to expect in the coming months. According to Majerus, Koelnmesse is promoting its 2008 show to U.S. designers and architects, as well as organizing many concurrent events and exhibits designed to influence international furniture designs and styles in the coming months. In 2008 there will be side event such as Dutch Design, an exhibition focusing on the development of residential neighborhoods in harbor cities; Compasso d’oro, a look at 50 years of Italian furniture design; and Design Germany, a selection of classic and current designs. In addition, Imm Cologne will again produce its annual Trend Book, developed by a trend board consisting of international designers, architects and journalists. The last edition was unveiled during a September press conference in St. Petersburg, Russia. Majerus acknowledged that the falling dollar will likely affect the number of U.S. retailers attending imm Cologne, he remains optimistic. The increased dollar is a factor, he said. However, we don’t put too much weight on this, as U.S. buyers at imm Cologne will be able to source products from 60 different countries with different currencies. It is likely that U.S. buyers will compensate some of their purchases in geographic areas not pegged to the Euro. For more information contact: 773-326-9920 or info@koelnmessenafta.com