Heimtextil - An Overview
Exhibitors take a positive outlook thanks to the willingness of buyers from all over the world to place orders More foreign visitors results in a slight overall increase in visitor numbers at Heimtextil 2008 Heimtextil, International Trade Fair for Home and Contract Textiles, in Frankfurt launched the new business year for the sector with an excellent set of figures:
86,378 visitors (2007: 85,824) from 125 countries and 2,844 exhibitors from 65 countries. "The largenumber of exhibitors and visitors from all five continents and the high level of demand from the trade, as well as the interior furnishing, design and architecture sectors, led to a very good result for the Heimtextil, which has set a positive sign for the sector" The industry is under pressure in Europe and Asia from further drops in production, as well as from export and sales fluctuations caused by the strong euro and the weak dollar.

Of the 86,378 trade visitors, 30,902 came from Germany (2007: 30,982). 55,476 travelled to the fair from outside Germany, which represents 64 percent of the total (2007: also 64 percent). Thus, the Heimtextil has been able to maintain its very high level of internationality.

On average, only 22 percent of participants in Germany's major trade fairs come from outside the country (German Association of the Trade Fair Industry (Ausstellungs- und Messeausschuss der Deutschen Wirtschaft -AUMA). The bestrepresented visitor nations after Germany are Italy followed by Great Britain, Spain, Greece, China, the USA, France, Turkey, The Netherlands, Poland and India.

The visitors were very satisfied with the range of home and household textiles at the fair. Particular interest was shown in the new collections of decorative and furniture fabrics, bathroom textiles and wall coverings, which resulted in very good contacts and orders for the exhibitors. The high level of internationality on the exhibitor side (84 percent) also reflects the high degree of attraction exercised by the Heimtextil throughoutthe world. Traditionally, the bulk of exhibitors comes from Europe (57 percent), followed by Asia with 39 percent. Thus, with a total of 2,376 companies, the
proportion of foreign exhibitors reached the high level recorded last year. The top ten nations include Germany, Turkey, Italy, France, Spain, Belgium, Great Britain and Portugal. The best-represented Asian exhibitor nations are India, China and Pakistan. Portugal, Italy and Deutschland are the dominant nations in the field of high-grade home textiles.

The next Heimtextil will be held in Frankfurt am Main from 14 to 17 January 2009