Extreme internationality of Spoga+Gafa

Spoga+Gafa came to an end yesterday, 6 September 2011, with a definite plus on the visitor side. Some 36 300 trade visitors from 106 countries (2009: 89 countries) arrived in Cologne to attend the garden trade fair. Koelnmesse has compared the event with the Spoga of two years ago (25 350 visitors), which results in an increase of 43 per cent. The number of exhibitors rose by 28 per cent to 1 774, the gross exhibition space by more than 50 per cent. The foreign contingent on the visitor side came to 59 per cent (as in 2009), and to 81 per cent on the exhibitor side (2009: 79 per cent). The exhibitors came from a total of 57 countries (2009: 49). The fair organisers showed great satisfaction with the figures in “year one after the strategic decision to bring Spoga+Gafa back into the annual cycle”, as formulated by divisional director Metin Ergül. John Herbert, general secretary of EDRA, reported that volume buyers had come from all over the world. He quoted the assessment of his members that “The buyers were impressed by the quality of the products offered at the fair and their comments were without exception very positive.” The German DIY Retailers’ Association emphasized the internationality of the fair as well. “This should be a signal to attract back those manufacturers whose product groupings were still underrepresented this year,” said director Stefan Michell.