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DOMOTEX 2023
Ipek – A. Ipektchi Rezas
“Domotex 2023 was a complete success for us. All of our important suppliers were there, showing interesting new products. For us, Domotex is still without question the leading carpet trade fair, and we very much hope we will continue having it the way it is today.”
RALF HOSSDORF
Managing Director, Teppichversand 24
goods, which were scarcely to be seen. Things were somewhat better regarding overdyed vintage and classical-pattern Persian rugs, with Hamburg-based importer Ipek and Rezas of Denmark leading the way.
There was a significantly smaller selection of rugs from Turkey and Morocco as well, noting that a car- pet fair had just been held in Marrakesh in Decem- ber 2022. Less than a handful of exhibitors this time were showing antique rugs – a niche segment for connoisseurs.
Most exhibitors in Hall 2 brought along select indi- vidual knotted carpets to Hannover; not so much
EUCA Award: Bahram Tahbaz honoured for his life’s work
Bahram Tahbaz, founder of the Bahram Tahbaz Orient-Tep- pich-Import, became the latest recipient of the EUCA award at this year’s Domotex, presented by the European Carpet Importers Association for lifetime achievement. The 80-year- old businessman accepted the award personally from Laut- dator and EUCA President Dr. Ali Ipektchi.
This is the fifteenth time the Association has bestowed the award, which goes to noteworthy individuals from the world of hand- made rugs for outstanding achievement. The winner is selected from a pool of nominations by an international judges panel.
In a speech Dr. Ikektchi reviewed the life of Bahram Tahbaz, who joined his family’s rug trading business in Tehran as a
young man, and then studied economics in Hamburg be- fore going on to open his own carpet import company in Hamburg’s warehouse district in 1965. Today the company is located near Hamburg Airport, and the business is run by his son Amir.
In the early 1980s the elder Tahbaz was of significant ser- vice to the industry as an active board member of the as- sociation EUCA. When the carpet business was no longer represented at Heimtex, he was involved in finding a new trade fair location, leading to the establishing of Domotex as the industry’s new platform in 1989. As AICE chairman (Association of Iranian Carpet Importers in Europe) bet- ween 2000 and 2007, Tahbaz worked with great dedication
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