"Appreciably fewer, as expected"

The Collectione staged in Frankfurt from 11 to 14 June 2006 attracted around 6 000 visitors, which was appreciably fewer than the number (8 600) attending the debut consumer goods fair one year ago – "as was to be expected", according to the final report issued by the exhibition company. The initial event was attended by a great number of small and medium-sized specialist retailers. This year, however, saw the arrival of top decision-makers from major companies. Show director Dr Michael Peters describes Collectione as a "niche exhibition in the great international consumer goods market, which covers only one small part of this enormous market". Concept and dates are both spot-on, so now it is just a matter of getting to grips with any "teething problems".
The show company reports that the 351 exhibitors (2005: approx. 500) were broadly in agreement with the concept. However, there were critical voices to be heard on the stands, once again objecting to the fact that a great number of relatively small specialist retailers attended the show. The length of the event and the heterogeneity of the product offer also came in for some discussion.
Next year's Collection will be held from 17 to 20 June 2007.