INTERNATIONAL HARDWARE FAIR COLOGNE 2018:Successful all the way down

Celion Su

？ Over 47，000 visitors from 143 countries

？ 9% increase in the number of visitors

？ Over 70% of the trade visitors are from abroad

？ Focal theme digitalisation sets new impulses

Fully-booked exhibition halls， crowded aisles and a stimulating event programme. EISENWARENMESSE - International Hardware Fair Cologne 2018 closed its doors after four successful exhibition days from 4 to 7 March. With in total 2，770 exhibitors from 58 countries and over 47，000 trade visitors （plus 9%） from 143 countries， the event recorded a significant increase in the number of visitors. Decisionmakers from all over the world made use of the number one event of the hardware industry to discover the new products， innovations and trends of the industry.

Increased exhibitor and visitor numbers

This years increased number of visitors was above all attributable to the rise in the number of trade visitors from abroad. Significant growth was registered from Asia， especially from Japan， from North and South America， Africa and from the Russian Federation. 12% more trade visitors came from the USA alone.

The number of visitors from Germany remained at a constant level."87% of the exhibitors and over 70% of the trade visitors come from abroad. 143 countries were represented among the trade visitors- an increase of 19 countries，" stated Katharina C. Hamma， Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH， EISENWARENMESSE organizer. "As a result of this and the significant growth in the number of visitors we were able to underpin the position of EISENWARENMESSE - International Hardware Fair Cologne as the number one event of the hardware industry."

Formats satisfy the customer demands

The increases were also clearly noticeable for the exhibitors too."We are very 2/4 happy with this years EISENWARENMESSE. Particularly the numerous new contacts from South America and South Europe can be assessed positively. Furthermore， we were able to greet customers - especially from the USA - who after being absent for the past years， attended EISENWARENMESSE again in 2018. These are very positive developments. They underline the fact that EISENWARENMESSE with its concept-related changes is once again satisfying the demands of the customers. " confirmed J. Wolfgang Kirchhoff， Chairman of the Advisory Board of EISENWARENMESSE.

In addition to the new products， innovations and trends from the segments Tools， Industrial Supply， Fasteners and Fixings， Fittings， the DIY Boulevard convinced once again in the Home Improvement section. The format of the innovations per running meter sustainably convinced the top players of the construction， home and garden industry： With over 235 metres it created a pull effect.

The industry is facing the digitalisation

The product show was flanked by an event programme that focused on the digitalisation of the industry. One of the stimulating trend themes of EISENWARENMESSE was the theme digitalisation that an extensive event programme was dedicated to. Highlights included the two-day dSummit with lectures and exhibitors in the scope of the EISENforum， the Start-up Village as well as the "3D printing -Additive Production" special event.

In the opinion of Thomas Dammann， Executive Director of the Central Association of the Hardware Trade e.V. （ZHH）， the trade fair was also a total success and an important trendsetter in the age of digitalisation.

In addition to the trend theme， EISENWARENMESSE offered further opportunities to exchange information and network in the form of the BME Buyers Days， the Hardware Seminar and the Trainee Day. Industry awards were also given to some companies to encourage innovation.

The next EISENWARENMESSE - International Hardware Fair Cologne is scheduled to take place from 1 to 4 March 2020.