Internationalism confirmed

The overall number of visitors may have gone down compared with last year’s figure, but the proportion of international visitors remained constant at 21 000. For the Gafa/Spoga duo of trade fairs, the Köln-Messe organisers indicated a total of 47 500 trade visitors from 94 countries. This amounts to five per cent fewer than one year ago. Some exhibitors’ estimates on the tendency in visitor figures differed considerably from the official count. Numerous participating companies bemoaned a more pronounced decline of visitors to their stands. Conversely, however, big names were this year missing on the exhibitor side as well.
Despite everything, there were almost four per cent more exhibitors represented at Gafa from 1 to 3 September than in 2001; 65 per cent of the 1 204 exhibiting companies came from abroad (48 countries). Altogether suppliers occupied a gross exhibition space of 130 300 m².
Whereas established exhibitors put their emphasis on public relations and customer care, young companies used the fair as an opportunity to introduce themselves with their new products and solutions to the public, with the aim of exciting the interest of potential new customers. Suppliers from all segments who presented innovative products showed special satisfaction with the encouragement of the trade visitors.
Convenience plays a major role, not only for garden tools.
Convenience is trendy
The thirtieth Gafa offered a display of stimulating ideas and trends for the new season in the green market to an interested trade public.
“Convenience” is the keyword here: gardens are to be transformed quickly and easily into a place where you can feel happy and relaxed, have fun and games, with as little work as possible. Clearly discernible was the growing significance of services over and above the products themselves: both in the supply of a comprehensive spectrum of accessories and in terms of information, advice and customer service.
Innovative, high-quality products head the field in all supply segments during the present period of general consumer resistance. In addition to convenience, other factors playing a decisive role when it comes to garden tools include safety, weight and noise, emission and recycling aspects. The manufacturers have the focus of their attention equally on end-consumers and the retail trade. A majority of the exhibitors paid more than lip-service to the fact that the garden and tool market is becoming more and more influenced by emotions and demanding…