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key takeaway. Before the pandemic some exhib- itors had their doubts, but now we have seen that a straightforward platform for carpets and flooring is something absolutely needed and wanted in Hannover.
Carpet Home: The mood was good, but many visitors were disappointed that there were fewer exhibitors. Certain big-name players, in the hand- made carpet segment in particular, were notice- ably absent, and in Halls 5 and 6 there were a lot of vacant spots. Why was that, and what situa- tion are you expecting for Domotex 2024 ?
Sonia Wedell-Castellano: I think we have to keep in mind that this was the first Domotex since outbreak of the pandemic, held in a time when the global economy is not doing so well. These conditions made some companies under- standably hesitant to exhibit at Domotex 2023; thus some have yet to return to the fair as ex- hibitors. Another factor was the significant trav- el restrictions China and some other countries still had in place early in the year, which made it harder to travel abroad to exhibit. Many produc- ers of rugs who exhibit are from Iran, for exam- ple. And as you may well imagine, the political upheaval in Iran made it simply impossible for many to obtain a visa in time to go participate in an international trade show. This very problem explains a number of last-minute cancellations; there was no other option but to leave the spac- es empty. Regrettable indeed, but things happen beyond our control, despite our best efforts.
As to our expectations for the next upcoming expo, I can tell you that many companies have expressed interest in coming back for Domotex 2024 – and several intend to come who didn’t exhibit this year. Carpet producers like Merinos and Oriental Weavers and flooring suppliers like Ter Hürne, Windmöller, Neuhofer and NK Sales have confirmed they are coming, along with many other companies.
Carpet Home: It seemed like there were quite a lot of decision-makers there from medium to
It proved to us as a team that Domotex can still be highly successful, even in a tough economy and with fewer exhibitors. It also shows the fruits of going the extra mile with
our marketing efforts, and with
visitor communications in particular.
larger-sized trading firms. What did you observe about the attendance structure, what countries did visitors come from ?
Sonia Wedell-Castellano: Domotex has always had an international identity as a trade fair. In 2023, roughly 70% of the approximately 20,000 visitors were from abroad: 60% from Europe – 45% EU, 21% Asia, 11% America and the rest from Africa and Australia.
Visitor quality was truly outstanding at the fair. Eighty percent of those attending were decision- makers, and more than a third were executives. According to our survey, which was which audited by the FKM, roughly half of decision- makers placed an order with an exhibiting firm while attending Domotex. So those who show up at Domotex are there for a reason.
Compared to 2020 the number of 20,000 visitors may seem small, but it isn’t by any means. Com- paring at all is really useless, for we are now liv- ing in a different time − the post-pandemic era. But if you are going to compare, you still have to look at the conditions, and also look at the num- ber of exhibitors. While the number of exhibi- tors was 50% lower this year than typically in the past, attendance was still at two-thirds of the normal level. Thus visitors actually increased from a certain perspective.
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