Strong presence of top quality international professional visitors confirms success of DOMOTEX Middle East 2009
Key industry players intensify marketing initiatives in Middle East to offset easing performance in other international markets
Deutsche Messe Dubai Branch, organisers of the recently concluded DOMOTEX Middle East 2009, the only dedicated carpets and floor coverings exhibition in the MENA region, has announced that visitor and exhibitor response has shattered pre-event expectations. The majority of the event's participants have expressed a well received top quality visitor footfall considering the current worldwide economy status. Drawn by the event's expanded coverage and inspired by the Middle East's enormous market potential, more than 215 exhibitors from 27 countries and around 5,149 international visitors gathered to search for business opportunities, discover new flooring solutions and trends and increase market exposure during the show's three-day run.
Angela Schaschen, Managing Director, Deutsche Messe Dubai said, “This year's edition certainly underlined DOMOTEX Middle East as the premier marketing and buying platform for the region's flooring industry. The overall response was simply overwhelming, particularly in view of the prevailing economic difficulties. A few exhibitors even suggested to further expand the event, emphasising the fact that companies are now intensifying their marketing efforts in the Middle East as other global markets have showed signs of slowing down. The positive feedback has certainly helped us identify new ways to further enhance and improve the event as we now start to prepare for a bigger and better DOMOTEX Middle East event."
One of the key innovations of DOMOTEX Middle East 2009 was the Association of Professional Interior Designers (APID) Flooring Seminar, which was inaugurated at the stage of the Designers Lounge. The seminar gathered professional interior designers from the UAE and other GCC countries who provided visitors with information about the role of flooring in interior design.
Other popular segments included the Designers Corner, where architects and designers showcased reference projects, seminars and displays of design flooring; and Creative Flooring, where professionals of TAOFS (The Academy of Flooring Skills) from the UK conducted live how-to demonstrations on time-saving and quality-enhancing techniques and new products.
Osama M. Hassoun, Marketing Director of Al Sorayai said: We have been at DOMOTEX Middle East since the start. We in fact exhibit at all the DOMOTEX shows around the globe, this included Hannover, Shanghai and Dubai. Since the start of DOMOTEX, we feel that an event of this kind is very important for a company like us. Carpet manufacturing is indeed becoming an industry that requires companies to stay up to date with the latest international technologies.
Ravi John, Business Development Manager of Al Abdullatif Industrial Investment Company, one of the exhibitors, said: "This year the global financial crisis affected our operations in Europe and USA, but at the same time new opportunities showed up in the Middle East. As such, DOMOTEX Middle East is very important to us as it focuses on a market where around 70 per cent of our clients are based. We basically had better results than last year with more visitors and buyers. Moreover, we are always able to attract long-term customers in each of our participation at DOMOTEX Middle East.”
Masoud Mahmoudi, Managing Director of Fibril FZE said: "During the closing of the exhibition, we were surprised to receive an order for a few extrusion machineries from one of our customers. Despite the low expectations related to the economic downturn, this event eventually proved to be one of the most interesting shows we have participated in as it offered very good prospects for our business. We look forward to participate and have a better performance in DOMOTEX Middle East 2010."
Eddy Dewyn, General Manager of Abu Dhabi National Carpets, commented: "Our participation in DOMOTEX Middle East 2009 was more productive than last year. We had more new products, the time of the event was more convenient, and the overall results were way better than what I expected as we closed nearly 100 deals and agreements worth at least USD 1 million. DOMOTEX Middle East will always be an important industry event for us because it caters to our primary market. We wouldn’t be surprised if there will be a much bigger event next year."
DOMOTEX Middle East 2009 showcased a complete line of handmade and machine-made carpets; textile and resilient floor coverings; parquet and wooden flooring; laminates; sports arena flooring; fibres, yarns and textiles; cleaning and application technologies; ceramic tiles; and natural stone and marble floorings.
The exhibition and trade fair has been recognised as an important calendar event for key industry players such as wholesalers and retailers of floor coverings, decision makers in the contracting business, planners, architects, interior designers, construction companies, project planners, floor fitters and other skilled workers from the sector.
