Decision-makers and general players in the international furniture and furnishings trade have a fixed annual date in their business diaries – ZOW, the International Supply Fair for Furniture Industry and Interior Design, in Bad Salzuflen in February.
From 10 to 13th February next year, halls 19 to 22 of the East Westphalian trade fair centre will once again welcome exhibitors and visitors from around the world. The number of exhibitors who have already booked for this must-see event in 2014 is high.
The findings before and after ZOW 2013 are always the same – the quality of the trade visitors is excellent and almost untoppable. Customers with decision-making competence meet with their suppliers in a concentrated environment assuring both parties of an efficient and successful trade fair – a perfectly coordinated interaction between people, products and communication.
At the last trade fair, the total number of exhibitors had fallen and there was the noted absence of some segments of industry. Voiced by both visitors and exhibitors in 2013, this criticism was addressed to the industry itself rather than to the organizers.
Local kitchen furniture manufacturers, for instance, were annoyed to find that it was almost impossible to conduct talks on fittings. Some of the comments by well-known major customers made it more than clear what they thought of this no-show at a trade fair in the heart of the market.
But the first step has already been taken towards optimising the 2014 event – instead of the rigid booth sizes prescribed in past years, the ZOW exhibitors will be able to negotiate and plan the areas highly individually in 2014.
This not only means considerably greater flexibility for the companies, but will also make ZOW more colourful and more varied. What's more, the booths which exhibitors have designed and built for other locations can now be applied to ZOW conditions without undue effort. It is a classic win-win situation from which visitors will also profit.
