Announcing DOMOTEX Russia, September 26-28, 2012

Image courtesy of BVents Crocus Expo

Welcome to DOMOTEX Russia in 2012!

DOMOTEX is broadening its global presence by expanding into the Russian market as recently announced in a Deutsche Messe release.

Organized by the Russian subsidiary of Deutsche Messe AG, DOMOTEX Russia is scheduled for September 26-28, 2012. The event will run concurrently with heimtextil Russia which is organized by Messe Frankfurt RUS and R+T Russia organized by Messe Stuttgart at the IEC Crocus Expo in Moscow.

Why DOMOTEX in Russia you ask?

Studies done by both German Trade & Invest (the foreign trade and inward investment agency of the Federal Republic of Germany) and the Business Analytic Center (BAC) expect significant growth in the Russian economy in the next several years. This includes the housing market as well as the floor covering sector.

Additionally, global events such as the 2014 Olympic Games and 2018 World Soccer Cup will certainly have an economic impact on the country.

Continuing with the theme of our other DOMOTEX trade shows, DOMOTEX Russia will include carpets, laminates, wood, parquet, natural stone as well as textiles and resilient floor coverings. Targeted attendees remain buyers from retail and wholesale trades and, more importantly, distributor networks so that manufacturers might gain access to the Russian Market. Also expected are architects, planners and designers from property development and building construction sectors.

We are excited about the new expansion of DOMOTEX in Russia. Dr. Andreas Gruchow, chairman of the Board of Deutsche Messe AG in Hannover, explains: “DOMOTEX Russia will create a showcase providing manufacturers of high-quality floor coverings with the opportunity to benefit from growing domestic demand in the Russian marketplace and the chance to consolidate their market presence. As the only specialist trade fair for carpets and floor coverings in Russia and the surrounding region, DOMOTEX Russia offers exhibitors and visitors great opportunities to make new contacts and generate business.”

If you are interested in exhibiting or visiting DOMOTEX Russia or any of our other events in Hannover, China or Dubai, please do not hesitate to contact me.

~ Katherine

Katherine León
Director of Sales - DOMOTEX and LIGNA Worldwide Events

Hannover Fairs USA
1170 Howell Mill Road, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30318
Phone: 404.214.0432

NWFA: From Ed Korczak To Michael Martin

National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA)’s Ed Korczak took his last bow at the NWFA Annual Wood Flooring Convention and Expo last month in San Diego. Although we initially thought that he would stick around until the end of the year, Ed has made the decision not to wait to hand over the reins to Michael Martin.

As he explains to Hardwood Floors, “It was a lot of fun looking back on the many friendships I’ve made in this industry, but the time has come for me to move on. NWFA’s lecadership transition is well underway, allowing me the luxury of retiring earlier than I had originally planned. I thank everyone for a memorable 17 years with the NWFA. God bless you all.”

Ed joined the NWFA in 1994, when total membership was 800. He leaves his position as Executive Director/CEO of the association with about 3,100 member companies from 51 countries.

Ed Korczak has been instrumental in developing a wide range of educational programs during his tenure.  He has also expanded the reach of the organization to a global platform. In addition to his long list of accomplishments, Ed contributed to NWFA’s Responsible Procurement Program, which promotes sustainable forestry, and NWFA’s installation guidelines, technical training programs, and annual Wood Flooring Expo and Education Conference, which is the largest trade show and convention anywhere dedicated exclusively to wood flooring.

It's an understatement to say the Ed Korczak will be missed at NWFA;  his influence and knowledge of the wood flooring business is invaluable to the industry. I personally would like to thank Ed for all his support with our global DOMOTEX events. All of us on the DOMOTEX team would like to wish him and his wife Jackie the best of luck in the future. Enjoy the lake house!

[If you'd like to enjoy the Roast given in honor of NWFA's Ed Korczak, feast your eyes on Part I, Part II and Part III.]

New NWFA Leadership

Although Michael Martin, the new CEO of the NWFA, has very large shoes to fill he comes to the association and the industry with an impressive resume. Michael served as a Vice President of the National Association of Electrical Distributors for the past 13 years, where he helped develop the association’s strategic direction and budget.

One of his primary functions within this role was to serve as publisher of The Electrical Distributor (TED) Magazine. He also was responsible for overseeing the association’s websites, communications, and public relations. Michael has a BA in Communications from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, and belongs to a number of professional organizations, including American Society of Association Executives, American Society of Business Publications Editors, Missouri Association of Publishers, International Association of Business Communicators, Society of National Association Publications, and St. Louis Society of Association Executives.

Since coming on board at the beginning of the year, Michael has been working closely with Ed to learn about programs specific to our industry, such as the NWFA’s Responsible Procurement Program. This program brings together the wood industry and environmentalists for the first time to promote responsible forest management. Michael also has been working with Ed to meet key industry leaders, Board members, and NWFA members as well. One of his goals for the association is to grow the trade show back to its pre-economic downturn status, as well as to strengthen NWFA’s core member services – education and training. DOMOTEX welcomes Michael to the industry and looks forward to a great working relationship.

Related Post: Floor Covering Weekly, Changing of the guard

Ed, congratulations on your retirement and thank you for being such a friend to Domotex and the industry.

Michael, welcome aboard. We look forward to working with you and making the NWFA even stronger!

~ Katherine

Katherine León
Director of Sales - DOMOTEX and LIGNA Worldwide Events

Hannover Fairs USA
1170 Howell Mill Road, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30318
Phone: 404.214.0432

NWFA 2011 Convention Draws Wood Flooring Attendance

The 2011 NWFA Convention hits the West Coast, drawing 'solid' wood flooring attendance

The 26th Annual National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) Convention took place in sunny San Diego April 26 through 29m, 2011 with a little over 2,000 attendees and 181 exhibiting companies.

Although the numbers were lower than in previous years, the industry is showing small signs of growth. According to Ed Korczak, Executive Director and CEO of NWFA, 2011 will continue to improve during the last half of the year and the home remodeling business is expected to pick up due to pent-up demand.

This demand along with new home developments gaining traction in 2013 or 2014 indicates that the future of the industry is looking better.  

During the NWFA Convention, there were many hands-on demonstrations on the show floor as well as educational sessions that were conducted in the exhibit hall for NWFA attendees.

The following photos give you a feel for the displays and demonstrations that took place during the 2011 NWFA Convention.

Along with the activities on the show floor, The Annual Awards Dinner was held on Wednesday, April 27th where members were presented with awards for educational achievement, community service, craftsmanship and design. Also announced at the awards dinner were the new members of the NWFA board of directors. The Board consists of four officers and 11 directors, each of whom is voted into office by the NWFA membership to serve a three-year term.

Here is the NWFA's blogpost recapping the 26th Annual NWFA Convention, the Floor Covering News recap of the event in NWFA convention theme: Back to basics, green awareness and Floor Covering Weekly's description of NWFA gives out annual awards.

Did you attend? What did you enjoy most about NWFA's 26th Annual Convention?

~ Katherine

Katherine León
Director of Sales - DOMOTEX and LIGNA Worldwide Events

Hannover Fairs USA
1170 Howell Mill Road, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30318
Phone: 404.214.0432

Special DOMOTEX 2012 Discounts For Exhibit Applications Sent Before 4/30/2011

Early Bird Gets the Worm at DOMOTEX 2012! Get your Exhibit Application Sent in Before 4/30/2011 and be Eligible for Discounts!

Can you believe that we are less than nine months away from the next DOMOTEX - January 14-17, 2012 in Hannover, Germany? I certainly can!

We are in the development stage of creating yet another robust event and understand how important it is to help support the continued success of the flooring industry and an event such as DOMOTEX which believes intensely in the value of bringing together in one place the world of flooring. The more we can plan ahead and continuously position the event - with feedback from exhibitors, visitors, presenters and participants - as the best global meeting place for the flooring industry, the better we can maintain the momentum of DOMOTEX 2011.  We are very proud of the relationships we have established as a result.

Are you planning ahead? Here is one specific example if you, too, plan ahead!

Just like the saying goes, 'the early bird gets the worm' and so, too, in the form of discounts for DOMOTEX 2012 do those companies that send their exhibit application before April 30, 2011. Special discounts are being offered to companies who submit their contracts for the next year’s event as well as deeper discounts for those who sign a multiyear agreement with Domotex.

Please remember that there are also several exhibiting options that include not only the raw exhibit space but booth set up as well. This is an easy way to just ship your marketing materials and/or products while we do all the work of setting up your booth space before you even set foot on the show floor.

Last, but not least, give me a call or drop me an email if you have any questions about any of the online forms. If this is the first time you are filling one out, it might be a little overwhelming so I promise I will walk you through it.

Here is a link to the Domotex 2012 Exhibitor Information Brochure.

I look forward to speaking with you and answering any questions!

~ Katherine

Katherine León
Director of Sales - DOMOTEX and LIGNA Worldwide Events

Hannover Fairs USA
1170 Howell Mill Road, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30318
Phone: 404.214.0432

DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR 2011 Highlights

DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR 2011 closed its doors last week on March 29, 2011 in an upbeat mood. Although attendance was just shy of last year’s record breaking numbers, there was a 15% increase in the number of exhibiting companies.

Several US companies exhibited at this year’s event including The American Flooring Alliance (AFA), organized by Wanda Ellis, Executive Director.

Included in the AFA pavilion space was CMC Card-Monroe, Summit USA, VRW, and Mannington who chose to create a private meeting room within the pavilion space.

A highlight of DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR 2011 was the Wood Flooring Forum (WFF).  Held one day prior to the exhibit hall opening, it took place at the Kerry Hotel Pudong which was right next door to the Shanghai New International Expo Center. The WFF addressed issues concerning the wood flooring industry such as market trends, the environment and legal issues. The overall theme of the forum also included the United Nation’s International Year of Forest which "celebrates forests for people".

The afternoon speaking tracks at the WFF were broken into two categories, the first for those attendees interested in Western markets and the other was exploring the market opportunities in China. [For more perspective on the event, you may enjoy reading the Floor Covering Institute Blog's post describing Wood Flooring Forum: presenting forces of change in the wood flooring industry.]

Many US media publications participated in these discussions such as Floor Covering Weekly, Floor Covering News and TalkFloor. Also included was the National Wood Flooring Association and - representing the retail channel in major western markets - Rob Banks, Co-Founder of Build Direct. The forum was very well co-organized by China’s National Forest Products Industry Association and our friends at the Floor Covering Institute here in the US.

Kudos to all those involved in making this happen!

Special thanks to our friends at AFA for sharing photos of DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR 2011.  In the top photo, you see TalkFloor's Dave Foster and Fred Almay from Summit USA.

These links to interviews and articles from the flooring media offer additional perspective on DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR 2011:

• From TalkFloor TV: Elegant Living’s Ray Kwan from Domotex Asia/ChinaFloor and Alex Shaoulpour, South Mountain Hardwood Flooring from Domotex Asia
• From Floor Covering Weekly: Domotex Asia takes center stage
• From Floor Covering News: 13th Domotex asia/ChinaFloor shaping up to be largest ever and in the April 4/11 issue, LVT takes center stage while ITC case is pending
• From NWFA's Hardwood Floors Magazine: Domotex Asia/ChinaFloor Attendance Down Slightly

DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR will take place again next year - March 27-29, 2012 at the New Shanghai International Exhibitions Center. Will you be there?

~ Katherine

Katherine León
Director of Sales - DOMOTEX and LIGNA Worldwide Events

Hannover Fairs USA
1170 Howell Mill Road, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30318
Phone: 404.214.0432

DOMOTEX 2011 Recap

With a total of 1,350 exhibitors from 70 countries and 40,000 buyers from all over the world, DOMOTEX 2011 once again proved to be the global trade show leader in the flooring industry!

Historically DOMOTEX has been known as a forum where buyers from all over the world can get their first glimpse of new products and innovations and this year was no different. Some of the highlights included curved contours of natural tree trunks from Bolefloor, exclusive new carpet designs, unique LVT floating systems from SuperClick  and “used look” flooring.

Take a look at Jim Gould’s posts on The Floor Covering Institute blog to get his feedback on some of these products [see Jim Gould Reports From Domotex Hannover and New Floor Covering Seen at Domotex Raises Expectations on Eve of Surfaces].

US companies were very well represented at DOMOTEX this year. Some companies such as long time exhibitor Card-Monroe, newcomer Lexmark Carpet Mills and DuPont Sorona Renewably Sourced Fiber chose to take exhibit space within the American Floorcovering Alliance (AFA).

Many US wood flooring companies such as Mullican Flooring, Graf Brother flooring and Lumber, and Verona Hardwood found their own home within the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) Pavilion in Hall 8.

Long time exhibitors such as Beaulieu of America exhibits with DOMOTEX in Hall 5 and remains one of the top leaders in the industry. Listen to Joe Williams, VP of Sales, talk about Beaulieu's continued support of DOMOTEX.

Winners of the 2011 Carpet Design Awards

Below are some additional highlights that happened at DOMOTEX 2011.

Carpet Design Awards

The 6th annual Carpet Design Awards took place at DOMOTEX with the support of co-organizers Hali and Cover.

The five panel judges awarded prizes in ten categories within the handmade carpet sector as well as an eleventh prize which would can be categorized as the “People’s Choice” which was selected by the attendees of DOMOTEX. The winners of all categories can are posted on the DOMOTEX website.

Congratulations to all the 2011 DOMOTEX Carpet Design Award winners!

Contractworld 2011

Contractworld

As stated in a previous post regarding Contractworld, this area of the show floor is dedicated to the contract industry and specifically targeted to the Architects and Designers of our industry.

There were many forums of discussion that took place in Contractworld as well as the presentation of the first three finalists in all four categories of the Contractworld Awards. All the winners are listed on the Contractworld website.

Looking Toward the Future of Flooring

As the flooring industry progresses and new concepts and products come to market, DOMOTEX strives to be ahead of the curve and as a result we are thrilled to announce new themes each year that will reflect the comprehensive diversity of the floor covering business.

Next year we will kick off the show with the Woodflooring Summit which will be dedicated to the hard wood and laminate sectors. In conjunction with the Association of European Producers of Laminate Flooring (EPLF), the Woodflooring Summit will have a special display area on the show floor spotlighting new and innovated products as well as a discussion forum and exhibit space.

I hope you will join us.

Finally, here are some additional links to coverage of DOMOTEX 2011….

• From NWFA's Hardwood Floors Magazine, "New Products, Innovations Presented at Domotex"
• From Fibre2Fashion, "Wool Impressions concept at Domotex"
• From Floor Covering Weekly, "Domotex 2011 reflects market optimism"
• From Carpetus, "Another Domotex passed by... and was great!"
• BuildDirect's Rob Banks with "Flooring Trends 2011 Post Domotex Pre Surfaces"
• Transcript of #domotex tweets from DOMOTEX 2011

And a few more photos from DOMOTEX 2011:

Tarkett's return to DOMOTEX

Beaulieu's impressive stand

Floor Forum at DOMOTEX 2011

See you next year at DOMOTEX – January 14-17, 2012!

Be sure to take a look at some of our other DOMOTEX family of events around the globe:

• Build Floor, February 23-26, 2011
• DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR March 22-24, 2011
• DOMOTEX Middle East September 12-14, 2011  

~ Katherine

Katherine León
Director of Sales - DOMOTEX and LIGNA Worldwide Events

Hannover Fairs USA
1170 Howell Mill Road, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30318
Phone: 404.214.0432

Being Mobile at DOMOTEX: #domotex & Tools

I suspect that most of you will depend on your smartphone mobile device to communicate, connect and even possibly navigate while in Hannover for DOMOTEX 2011.

That's certainly what I'll be doing and I think you'll find the following mobile related information valuable... It relates to mobile tools and connecting via #domotex.

Connecting via #domotex

For those of you using Twitter, save a search on your smartphone Twitter client for #domotex.  That will allow you to keep abreast of announcements and conversations taking place during DOMOTEX - including any last minute Tweetups.  My Twitter handle is @thedomotex.

Mobile DOMOTEX Tools

Exciting news from DOMOTEX to help you navigate the world's largest floor covering trade show and event: DOMOTEX2go. Perhaps you noticed the status update on Facebook about it.

I recommend that you install DOMOTEX2go now on your smartphone and consider bookmarking before you are in Hannover those products, exhibitors and talks that you want to make sure you have time for and visit.

By the way, definitely explore DOMOTEX2go on your desktop. You'll notice maps, and listings of products, exhibitors, talks. If there's something of interest, you can bookmark it and the application will calculate how to get to that location! Priceless if you've spent any time trying to negotiate and navigate through DOMOTEX Hannover's  13 exhibit halls.

You have two options for your smartphone:

• Visit http://www.domotex2go.de/ via your smartphone browser
• Download the iPhone app - go to iTunes to download DOMOTEX2go

For the iPhone app, I strongly recommend downloading from your desktop and iTunes rather than directly to your iPhone. The application will download a large database of information onto your phone for quick and easy access

Note for the iPhone: the application requires version 4.01 of the iPhone software.

The image below shows you the DOMOTEX2go app.

I look forward to connecting with you while at DOMOTEX and hope you find these tools helpful. 

~ Katherine

Katherine León
Director of Sales - DOMOTEX and LIGNA Worldwide Events

Hannover Fairs USA
1170 Howell Mill Road, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30318
Phone: 404.214.0432

Last Minute Preparations for DOMOTEX

As DOMOTEX 2011 approaches in about one week - starting January 15th through 18th, I suspect that you may be scrambling to finalize trip details and last minute preparations.

I hope those last minute preparations include planning out how to use your time while at DOMOTEX and setting up meetings with exhibitors of interest.

Whether you are attending DOMOTEX to see trends in the marketplace or source the latest products, having a plan for the week will make your experience at the event that much more productive. If you don't believe me, believe BuildDirect's Rob Banks as he shares his tips about DOMOTEX and Social Media.

This past week I spoke with Kemp Harr from FloorDaily.net reviewing a few DOMOTEX highlights. You can listen to the interview by clicking on this link.  Kemp describes the interview as follows:

Katherine León Discusses Highlights for Domotex Germany, Which Starts Next Week

Katherine León, Director of Sales for Hannover Fairs USA, and Kemp Harr discuss the highlights for Domotex Hannover—the largest flooring show in the world. Listen to the interview to hear Katherine provide more details, including a weather report.

A few points from the interview that I'd like to highlight:

Remember that DOMOTEX is the largest global trade show event for the floor covering industry so you want to take advantage of all it has to offer. We're talking 13 halls, 14k exhibitors and over 40k attendees. It's big! It's also an amazing opportunity to find the future of flooring!

Take a few minutes before you get to the fairgrounds to familiarize yourself with the floor plan layout and make a list of exhibiting companies that you would like to visit. The DOMOTEX website includes a list of exhibitors and products as well as a map of the fairgrounds.

You also should make note of all the special events that will run concurrently with DOMOTEX such as FLOORFORUM, Souk Deluxe, contractworld, Capet Design Awards and many more. Sustainability is a key theme for DOMOTEX 2011.  Be sure to check the website for a more comprehensive schedule of the events taking place.

You might want to read previous blogposts I wrote about these special events:

• Souk Deluxe at DOMOTEX 2011, Hall 20
• DOMOTEX Carpet Design Awards
• Shaw Contract Group at DOMOTEX 2011 with a glimpse of the sustainability theme

Don't forget to visit the AFA and the NWFA Pavillions, and check out the VIP Retail Flooring Tour on January 17!

Lastly make sure to bring a warm coat and snow boots if you have them since the weather forecast calls for snow/rain and temperatures in the mid 30s.

See you very soon!

~ Katherine

Katherine León
Director of Sales - DOMOTEX and LIGNA Worldwide Events

Hannover Fairs USA
1170 Howell Mill Road, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30318
Phone: 404.214.0432