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| Stability in difficult times: world fairs remain on track Stability, consistency and quality – these are the attributes with which the three consumer-goods fairs – Christmasworld, Paperworld and Creativeworld – open their doors in Frankfurt am Main at the end of January. The new business year for the festive decorations, paper, office supplies, stationery, hobby, handicrafts and artists' materials segments has begun well. All three fairs are set to benefit from the particularly good economic situation in Germany and this is reflected by a positive business atmosphere. "Employment has reached a new high while unemployment has fallen to the lowest level for 20 years. This has not been without an impact on domestic demand for paper and office materials", says Braun commenting on developments in the sector. Nevertheless, significant downturns are clearly visible when looking at the rest of Europe and the world market. Christmasworld study: Christmas is always in demand Christmasworld offers a good example of the economic climate in Germany. In this case, too, demand is having a positive influence on developments in the sector. This is illustrated by a study by the GfK market research institute commissioned by Messe Frankfurt, according to which over 90 percent of Germans celebrate Christmas and one in three of them says it is "extremely important" for them. For 85 percent of respondents, candles hold first place ahead of Christmas baubles (77.2 percent) and a real Christmas tree (76.9 percent). Thus, Christmasworld is the undisputed highlight for the sector and trend-setter when it comes to festive decorations for Christmas and all other festive occasions of the year. With around 950 registered exhibitors, including all key players and numerous new exhibitors, it is set to build on the high level of the last event in 2011. Paperworld: quality creates stability The paper, office supplies and stationery sector has begun the year with a positive outlook. Thanks largely to increased domestic demand, the sector enjoyed an estimated economic growth of 6.4 percent to reach total sales of € 17.367 billion in 2011. According to the IFH Retail Consultants, Cologne, the rate of expansion was particularly high in the fields of office-communication paper and writing utensils. 1,800 exhibitors from 70 countries have registered to make presentations at this year's Paperworld in Frankfurt am Main. Nowhere else in the world can trade buyers expect to find an assortment comparable in terms of both breadth and depth. A decisive factor for the success of the fair is not only its high degree of internationality but also the high quality of the event. Creativeworld: a successful start to the second year Following the première Creativeworld in 2011, the trade fair for the hobby, handicrafts and artists' materials sector is all set for a second successful edition. Hall 4.2 is fully booked up and all key players of the sector have registered to make presentations in Frankfurt am Main. Altogether, 230 companies are showing a wide range of new products and creative ideas. The demand for hobby and creative products remains high and the trend to handicrafts continues unabated whereby products for specific occasions, such as Christmas, weddings and Easter, are particularly popular. Young handicrafts enthusiasts are especially keen on creating individual pieces of jewellery. The sector can look back over a stable sales period and anticipates an increase of around two percent for 2012. Association of events generates new impulses and synergies The decision to hold Hair and Beauty as a stand-alone-fair in May has strengthened the association of consumer-goods events and is sure to generate new impulses and synergies. write your comments about the article :: © 2012 Exhibition News :: home page |