Exhibitors of the consumer-goods fairs in Frankfurt satisfied – around 87,000 international buyers

Feb. 17, 2012 - PRLog -- Strengthened: Exhibitors of the consumer-goods fairs in Frankfurt satisfied – around 87,000 international buyers

Busy: Significantly more orders support positive developments in the sector

Global: Internationality a key to the success of Paperworld

The trio of consumer-goods fairs in Frankfurt – Christmasworld, Paperworld and Creativeworld 2012 – closed their doors on 31 January, after a run distinguished by increased visitor quality and a large number of international orders. More than 87,000 trade visitors (2011: 87,903, FKM certified [1]) from 155 countries contributed to the high level of satisfaction among exhibitors. “Our trio of fairs is a genuine magnet for international buyers. And this is shown by the stable number of visitors. Even more encouraging is the large num­ber of orders placed by buyers and reported by exhibitors”, said Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, commenting on the results of the fair.

Both indicators contributed to an optimistic mood in the fields of festive decorations, paper, stationery and office supplies and hobby, handicrafts and artists’ materials. Despite the difficult financial situa­tion, the approximately 3,000 exhibitors from 72 countries (2011: 3,053, FKM certified) have positive expectations of the new year because, although slightly fewer buyers came to Frankfurt from Southern Europe and Asia, they were able to expand their inter­national business. “There was a significant increase in the number of East European and, in particular, Russian visitors and this supported the international strategies of our exhibitors”, added Detlef Braun.
This is also confirmed by the exhibitors: “There were significantly more customers, especially from outside Germany, than last year. In particular, East and Southeast Europe were well represented. No­body has been talking about the financial crisis. The focus was on doing business”, says Karl Kallinger, Member of the Board of KMP PrintTechnik AG and Paperworld exhibitor.

One reason for the increase from these regions is connected with the export of Paperworld to Moscow and Dubai. “Launching Paperworld Middle East and Paperworld Russia last year has had a supplementary marketing effect on Paperworld, Creativeworld and Christmasworld in Frankfurt“, explains Detlef Braun. The top visitor nations after Germany include Italy, France, The Netherlands, Great Britain and Switzerland.

Internationality a key to the success of Paperworld
As in the past, Paperworld 2012 was the most international of the trio of fairs. With 1.800 exhibitors (2011: 1,858 exhibitors[2]) from 71 countries (2011: 70 countries), the leading trade fair for paper, stationery and office supplies is the highlight of the worldwide sector. Altogether, 49,350 visitors from all over the world came to see the latest products and trends from the field of paper, stationery and office supplies. Of these visitors, 30,477 or 62 percent came from outside Germany this year. “These figures demonstrate that the global paper, stationery and office supplies sector is firmly based at Paperworld at the end of January. This is one of the keys to success for the international business of our customers”, added Detlef Braun.

Paperworld 2012 was also distinguished by a positive business climate and, according to exhibitors, more orders than last year. This was underscored by Stephan Weinberg, Head of the Retail Trade Department of UHU GmbH & Co. KG: “The course of business at the fair has been very good. The level of demand has been high through­out and we welcomed both key accounts and smaller retailers. Particularly striking has been the intensity of the discus­sions, during which extremely specific activities and measures were agreed. We even carried out the annual discussions in the inter­national sphere. Therefore, it is essential that we show the flag here.”

Although the prognosis of the German Office Supplies Association (Bundesverband Bürowirtschaft – BBW) calls for zero growth in the retail trade and no more than two percent sales growth for the drop-shipping trade, the mood at Paperworld was significantly more positive. Altogether, 92 percent of German buyers rate the current economic situation in the sector as being satisfactory to good. Opinions on the international side are more cautious with 79 percent saying the situation is satisfactory to good, which makes the state­ment of Portuguese exhibitor Grupo Portucel Soporcel all the more encouraging: “The focus of our discussions has been on business, not the crisis. We are satisfied with the results of the fair, especially with regard to the number of international visitors”, said Maria Joao Lourenco, Marketing. The positive mood can also be traced back to the increased number of orders and the high visitor quality. In a poll conducted by Messe Frankfurt, the exhibitors confirmed that the proportion of buyers placing orders had risen to 49 percent (2011: 40 percent). The visitor-quality rating rose from 61 percent in 2011 to 69 percent  this year.

This was also confirmed by Fellowes, a company that returned to Paperworld after an absence: “Returning to Paperworld has been worthwhile. We had more appointments than last time. Of particular importance is the export sector. The crisis has not been a topic of discussion – the focus is on quality. The trade and customers want new products and innovations”, said Andrea Cantong, Trade Marketing Manager of Fellowes GmbH.
A moderate degree of optimism was also tangible in the greetings-card sector: “I rate Paperworld 2012 as having been moderately good in terms of both visitor numbers and orders taken. Paperworld in Frankfurt is and continues to be the most important platform for our sector. Taking part in fairs is still important in the greetings-card sector and all companies should take advantage of Paperworld to make presentations”, said Werner Lippels, Chairman of the Working Group of Greetings Cards Manufacturers and Publishers (Arbeits­gemeinschaft der Hersteller und Verleger von Glückwunschkarten).

Synergy effects strengthen Paperworld
The synergetic effects of the trio of fairs have had an even greater impact on the level of satisfaction expressed by both visitors and exhibitors this year. “For the specialist retail trade, Paperworld was once again an important market place for the new products and trends – a platform for concepts and agreements. The combination of Christmasworld, Creativeworld and Paperworld makes it all the more worthwhile to come to Frankfurt. A large number of shop owners, as well as wholesalers and the drop-shipping trade, made good use of this opportunity”, said Thomas Grothkopp, Director of the German Office Supplies Association (Bundesverband Bürowirtschaft – BBW).
The trio of fairs in Frankfurt am Main makes it possible for partici­pants to expand their horizons and attract new target groups. For example, Creativeworld has an interesting supplementary range of high-grade paper products, paints and coloured pencils, as well as individual greeting-card kits. At Christmasworld, there is an extremely large selection of wrapping materials, ribbons and gift articles. Not only Christmas but all festivities of the year are reflected by the multi-faceted product spectrum.

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