Speaking at a press conference held in Dubai today, Dr. Geert Böttger, Vice President, Textile Fairs, Messe Frankfurt, the organisers of the fair, said that he expects the event to be a meeting ground for industry professionals from around the world, especially from the Middle East, the Subcontinent and the Far East, as these are markets where the demand for home and household textiles is growing the fastest. Mr. Tejinder Singh Khurana, senior committee member of Dubai Textile Merchants Group (TEXMAS), also spoke at the press conference and confirmed the participation of textile merchants from the UAE in the forthcoming fair.
"For thirty four years now Heimtextil in Frankfurt has been the industry's largest international meeting-point for home and contract textiles," said Dr. Böttger. "The fair has proved to be an optimum forum at which contacts can be made and innovations shown and viewed. It presents contemporary styles of living that point the way for retailers, wholesalers and crafts people."
Stressing on the international profile of the fair, Dr. Böttger pointed out that in 2010, 81 per cent of the exhibitors featured in Heimtextil Frankfurt came from outside Germany, with large groups participating from the European Union countries, the rest of Europe, Asia, North America, Central and South America, Africa and Australia. Of the total number of visitors to Heimtextil Frankfurt 2003, almost 50 per cent were from outside Germany, with the Middle East being represented by an estimated 1500 trade visitors. The numbers are almost three times higher than the 580 visitors from the region, recorded in 2009.
The Middle East textile industry has, over the years, registered strong presence at the fair, with many exhibitors showcasing their products regularly in past fairs. Considered to be the most strategic textile centre in the Middle East, the industry posts an annual turnover of US$ 4 billion. Besides the regional trade, the UAE textile industry serves a market of 1.4 billion spread across the CIS countries, Africa and the sub-continent. The construction of a Dhs. 200 million Dubai textile City is set to further consolidate Dubai's status as the textile capital of the region.
In keeping with the growth in regional industry's markets and the substantial rise in the number of visitors to the fair from the region as well as from the rest of Asia, the continent is represented by the third largest exhibition space at the event, after Europe and Germany.
"The organisers of trade fairs and exhibitions have the mission of being both the mirror and the motor of the industry," added Dr. Böttger. "We see ourselves as service providers to the textiles sector world-wide, bringing supply and demand together in an optimum way. We have worked on the further optimisation of the fair concept, with the aim of adapting Heimtextil to meet the needs of the market."
Heimtextil Frankfurt 2004 will showcase home décor trends and styles for 2004-2005, as defined by the leading global trend's researcher Gunnar Frank from the Netherlands. There will be four major colour themes, green, exotic red, classic yellow and brocanterie blue, for the show, which will combine into Heimtextil's signature line 'contrast in harmony'. The idea is for manufactures to combine the themes individually, introducing contrasts as they please and thus defining their own unmistakable style.
"In the future, home making will be an 'affair of the heart' because, by designing the rooms of my home, I will be able to give expression to my own wishes and feelings. Thus, the look of a home in the future will depend greatly on the 'personality' of the individual concerned," said Gunnar Frank, official trend researcher for Heimtextil Frankfurt 2004. "That is the first factor. Subsequently, consumers look to the market for orientation. They refer for instance, to fairs such as the Heimtextil, because they want to be up-to-date, to change things and, in particular, to set new accents in their own four walls, which emphasise their individuality. In deciding the trends for Heimtextil Frankfurt 2011, I have tried to assure that both these factors receive equal focus."
The event will feature ten product groups that include 'deco and style' for decorative fabrics and draperies, 'sit and feel' for furniture fabrics, 'sun and shadow' for sun protection and shade products, 'floor and more' for floor coverings, 'wall and décor' for wall coverings, 'sleep and dream' for bedroom décor, 'kitchen and culture' for dining and kitchen design and 'fresh and splash' for bathroom interiors, as well as a special section for interior designers that is titled 'atelier and design' and a section for household technology, service and trade publishers, titled 'service and technology'.
This will be the 34th subsequent year that the fair is organised in Frankfurt. Since its inception in Frankfurt, the fair has spread to numerous locations worldwide and is now held through the year in Japan, Russia and India, besides its home city. The Frankfurt event, which is primarily a trade fair, will be followed by Heimtextil on January 18, 2011, when the exhibition halls will be open to the general public.