Press Release
No. 25 / Cologne, May 12, 2009
IMB exhibitors:
Many in favor of Cologne as trade fair location
Koelnmesse CEO Böse: "We aim to continue providing the sector with
its own trade fair"
IMB
World of Textile
Processing
After the conceptual sponsor of IMB — World of Textile Processing, the VDMA
German Garment and Leather Technology Association, ended its partnership
with Koelnmesse just a few days after the successful end of IMB 2009, many
companies voiced their irritation concerning the association's one-sided course of
action. They regard IMB as the perfect presentation platform for their products
and services. "We are currently holding extensive discussions with the
companies. From the very beginning, these discussions have highlighted the
great importance that the exhibitors of IMB attach to the event as an
international sector platform. We wish to respond to this support so that we can
continue to provide the textile sector with an internationally important trade fair
for the textile and clothing industry in Cologne in the future,“ says
Gerald Böse, CEO of Koelnmesse GmbH.
Cologne 2009
21st to 24th April
Thomas Rasch, Executive Director of GermanFashion, Modeverband
Deutschland (Fashion Association Germany), finds it difficult to understand
the decision of the association: "We regret the decision of the VDMA trade
association. We cannot understand how it can now question a trade fair that is
as internationally successful as IMB. It is the leading international trade fair
for state-of-the art technology in the clothing and textile industry, a true 'brand
product' that is firmly fixed as part of the sector's self-image. The sector needs
such a platform, and IMB can provide it." In all the discussions held after IMB
it has become apparent that the greatest potential of IMB — World of Textile
Processing lies in its mix of extensive clothing expertise and its interplay with
the other areas of application of the sewing industries.
www.imb-cologne.com
Contact:
Michael Steiner
Telephone
+ 49 221 821-3094
Telefax
+ 49 221 821-3446
E- Mail
m.steiner@
koelnmesse.de
Koelnmesse GmbH
Messeplatz 1
50679 Cologne
P.O. Box 21 07 60
50532 Cologne
Germany
Tel.
+49 221 821-0
Fax
+49 221 821-2574
info@koelnmesse.de
www.koelnmesse.de
Management:
Gerald Böse (Chief Executive Officer)
Oliver P. Kuhrt
Herbert Marner
Dr. Gerd Weber
Chairman of the Supervisory Board:
Mayor of the City of Cologne
Fritz Schramma
Place of business and (legal) domicile:
Cologne - Amtsgericht Köln, HRB 952
Johannes Ibach, Group Marketing Manager of Amann Group, agrees: "We
achieved our goals at the trade fair. Even though we also experienced
declining visitor numbers, the discussions we held were very intense and they
led to many new contacts and follow-up activities. As in previous years, IMB
proved to be the perfect presentation platform for our innovations." Thomas
Willing, Managing Director of Avery Dennison Central Europe GmbH, goes
one step further: "We achieved everything we aimed to, our stand was packed
and we had more visitors than three years ago — it was an excellent trade fair.
We expect the next IMB to be even more successful than this year's event."
For Dr. Kerstin Friedrich, authorized shareholder of GRAFIS - Software Dr.
Kerstin Friedrich GbR, the decrease in visitor numbers didn't stop success:
"Participation at IMB 2009 was a huge success for the Grafis team. We held
many more discussions with customers and interested visitors than we did at
the last IMB. The share of foreign visitors had decreased noticeably, which
was most likely due to the reduced travel activities resulting from the current
economic crisis. This was, however, more than offset by the increased
domestic interest. We are therefore very satisfied with the results of the fair."
According to Gerald Böse, it is essential to bring the international range of the
trade visitors back to the levels that have characterized IMB for decades and
ensured its success: "Modern trade fairs are primarily oriented towards the
trade visitors. With its supporting program and other aspects, IMB is no
exception to this rule." Jochen Cramer, Marketing/Sales Manager of KURIS
Spezialmaschinen GmbH, agrees: "We would like to see more visitors from
the USA and Asia. Apart from that, we hope that the location of IMB remains
in Cologne." For the next IMB Berthold Rademacher, GT Sales Manager of
Brother International Industriemaschinen GmbH, hopes that the "same levels
of trade visitors will again be reached." He believes that at IMB 2009 "the
quality of visitors had already clearly changed in the direction of decisionmakers who came to Cologne with the intention of making investments. We
were satisfied with the fair in every respect."
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Koelnmesse CEO Böse points out that "The positive response of the sector is a
huge motivation for us. We will use the excellent international reputation of
IMB as a high-tech platform for the textile and clothing industry to once again
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considerably increase the international scope of both exhibitors and visitors at
IMB - World of Textile Processing. I am sure we will already notice the initial
results at the coming IMB Forum in May 2010. We will build on this
foundation."
Koelnmesse holds the trademark rights to IMB and thus fulfills the
requirements to continue to stage the event unchanged in the coming years.
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