Trade fair reports

Conference for the tenth time round
The DIY and Garden show will next year be celebrating a milestone when it takes place in London from 18 to 20 January 2004: the tenth year of its existence, to be exact. The organisers are celebrating the occasion by inviting participation at a conference entitled “DIY Retailing – the next 10 years”. As the main speaker at the event they have enlisted Manfred Maus, founder and head of Obi, the market leader in Germany. Mr Maus also functions as president of the BHB, or German federal association, and as a member of the board of the European trade association EDRA as well.
Loyal to Eurobrico
The organisers of Eurobrico, which was inaugurated in Valencia in 2002, are counting on the fair’s popularity with exhibitors continuing on to the next time the event is staged in 2005. A survey has revealed that 73.5 per cent of the firms that participated this year intend to return to Valencia in two years’ time. The exhibitors also declared themselves clearly in favour of the two-year cycle.
New DIY trade fair in Hong Kong
The Singapore-based subsidiary of Koelnmesse is going to stage a new hardware and DIY trade fair jointly with Adsale Exhibition Services of Hong Kong. Intersource Hardware Asia, to be held in Hong Kong between 13 and 16 April, is seen as the “Asia hypermarket of hardware, tools and DIY supplies” in the words of its subtitle. The fair has been deliberately planned for April, which is the region’s main month for holding trade fairs. It is intended to stage it annually. Information and registration at www.intersource-hardware-asia.com.
DIY paint retailing
The Paint Research Association is dedicating a conference to the subject of selling paint through DIY stores. The event goes under the title of “DIY Paint Retailing” and is scheduled to be held on 10 and 11 May 2004 in The Hague. It will cover both technical aspects and developments, as well as the marketing perspective. The conference is designed to appeal specifically to buyers and management of the big DIY chains, as well as to producers and service providers. The organisers believe that the total volume of paint sold per year in Europe for DIY applications approaches one billion litres. The proportion that is sold through DIY stores varies from country to country, but is growing across the region overall. Further information and registration at www.diypaint.com.
Expanded product offer
Domotex Hannover 2004 will once more give proof of its position as the leading fair…