Tendence 2013 closes with a very good approval rating from both exhibitors and visitors

3 septiembre, 2013

The international Tendence consumer-goods fair closed its doors with a very good approval rating from both exhibitors and visitors. During the four days of the fair, exhibitors from 55 countries presented their latest giving and living products for the autumn and winter season, and offered an initial preview of the coming spring.

“Tendence remains one of Europe’s most important order platforms in the second half of the year. Despite the difficult economic situation in Europe, we have succeeded in repositioning Tendence in the interests of our exhibitors and visitors. The new concept has produced its first positive results. The overall rating given to the fair is significantly better than last year’s”, explains Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt GmbH.

The majority of exhibitors not only said they were very pleased with the level of orders placed and visitor quality but also emphasised the great importance of Tendence for the sector. As was to be expected in view of the trend in the sector, the number of visitors declined. During the four days of the fair, one less than last year, a total of 38,000 visitors passed through the doors. Last year’s five-day event was attended by 45,477 visitors.

The top 10 nations on the visitor side were Switzerland, Austria, France, The Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, China, Poland, Spain and the Russian Federation. Altogether, 20 percent of visitors came from outside Germany. On over 98,000 square metres of gross exhibition space (2012: 130,600 square metres (gross)), 1,307 exhibitors from 55 countries (including Ecostyle and Webchance; 2012: 1,858 exhibitors) presented their latest products for the autumn and winter season and the trends for next spring.

Apart from the unavailability of Hall 11.0 due to the setting-up work for the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA), the decline in exhibition space was primarily due to a strategically planned reduction in the number of Asian exhibitors, which mainly affected exhibitors from China, Hong Kong and India – suppliers for the high-volume business who used to occupy Hall 10.

The German and European trade was very well represented at Tendence and used the fair to prepare for the coming, very important winter and Christmas business. Moreover, the first results of the exhibitor poll show that both visitor quality and order behaviour were good. Stephan Koziol, Chairman of the European Lifestyle Association, confirms this impression and says, “Given the very difficult first half year for the sector, the course of business at Tendence was positive. Overall expectations have been exceeded. A good consumer-goods fair for the second half of the year, such as Tendence, is extremely important for the sector”.