Successful start to the new furnishing season: around 70,000 visitors from 135 countries experienced design innovations by 2,975 international exhibitors at Heimtextil from 9 to 12 January. Urban design in the context of the architecture and the hotel industry became the top topic of the international trade fair for home and contract textiles.
“With growth on both the visitor and exhibitor side, Heimtextil has convinced across the board and underpinned its unique position as a world-leading trade fair”, says Detlef Braun, CEO of Messe Frankfurt. Around 70,000 visitors, including representatives from the retail and wholesale trade, interior decorating, design, architecture and interior design, the hotel industry and industry, benefited from the fair’s unique range of products and inspiration.
Theme Park at Heimtextil
Photo – Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
For the eighth time in a row, the trade fair increased the number of participating companies; the now total is 2,975 international exhibitors. In addition to global market leaders and industry leaders, Heimtextil also provided an international platform for more than 50 young designers and start-ups with its newcomer program “New & Next”. One of the focal points of the trade fair was contract furnishing and the associated focus on the target group of architects and property planners. “For us, it was a fantastic trade fair première”, says Tom Puukko, owner of the wallpaper manufacturer Feathr from Finland. “We were able to generate new and excellent contacts from all parts of the world. A special highlight for us was a group of architects who stopped by our stand, enabling us to present our products to them”.
Architecture Meets Textile Design
With a first-rate lecture program, topic-specific guided tours, and a prominent presentation area, namely the new Interior Architecture. With Hospitality Expo in hall 4.2, Heimtextil expanded its commitment to textile contract furnishings, and with great success.
KBT Bettwaren Vertriebs GmbH & Co at Heimtextil
Photo – Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Jens Liebchen
Numerous architects and interior designers, hoteliers, and furnishers took advantage of the diverse information and networking opportunities. “I considered a visit to Heimtextil as a valuable incentive for my work, i. e. for the interior furnishings and design of shops and restaurants at the airport. I was able to make interesting contacts and discover exciting, very high-quality products”, says Jun-Florian Peine, Project Manager Retail Development Fraport AG.
Castilla Textil at Heimtextil
Photo – Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Thomas Fedra
In the immediate vicinity of the new area, carpet suppliers were able to present themselves as part of a joint presentation by the Association of German Home Textiles Manufacturers (Heimtex) entitled “Carpet by Heimtex”. Volker Knieß, responsible for International Sales at Toucan-T, drew a positive conclusion: “We found the new concept of a joint presentation interesting and are very satisfied with how the fair went. With the main focus on acoustics, flexibility, and design, we appeal particularly to the architects we encounter here at Heimtextil. The guided tours for architects, in particular, bring us into contact with this target group and open up interesting contacts for us”.
Urbanization – a Major Trend Topic
With the “Theme Park” trend area, Heimtextil gave an outlook on the design and furnishing trends of the future.
Theme Park at Heimtextil
Photo – Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Pietro Sutera
Under the title “The Future is Urban”, international design experts visualized the megatrend of urbanization. Based on the statement that more than half of the world’s population already lives in major cities, the area not only showcased the color and material trends of the coming season but above all real future prospects in the field of textile interior design.
Theme Park at Heimtextil
Photo – Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Pietro Sutera
The London-based studio FranklinTill directed the showcase in hall 6.0 and received great acclaim for a trend presentation that was progressive as well as tangible and clear.
Celebrity Guests
And the glamour factor was also once again present at Heimtextil. Barbara Schöneberger for Tapetenfabrik Gebr. Rasch and “die Maus” for P+S International presented their first wallpaper collections. Enie van de Meiklokjes and Alexander Herrmann enriched the DecoTeam’s programme with workshops. And Laura Chaplin, granddaughter of the world-famous comedian, as brand ambassador for the Cotton made in Africa label, drew attention to the use of sustainable cotton in the textile industry.
New Concept 2019
Based on discussions with exhibitors and visitor surveys, Messe Frankfurt has developed a new Heimtextil concept for 2019. “From the perspective of buyers, in particular, we are repositioning Heimtextil 2019 and grouping themes and product groups according to target groups. In this way, synergies can be better recognized and exploited”, says Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles & Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt. In addition, the demand for stand space on the exhibitor side has grown sharply in some product groups in recent years.
Athenea at Heimtextil
Photo – Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Thomas Fedra
The opportunity to optimize the concept is not least due to major construction measures currently being implemented at the Messe Frankfurt exhibition site: the new hall 12 will be erected on the western side of the site and will be available to Heimtextil for the first time in 2019. Further structural measures are to follow around halls 5 and 6.
The next Heimtextil, the international trade fair for home and contract textiles, will be held in Frankfurt from 8 to 11 January 2019.
Jab Josef Anstoetz at Heimtextil
Photo – Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Jochen Gunther
Cover Photo – Alfred Apelt GmbH at Heimtextil / Photo – Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH / Jochen Gunther
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