MEDIA SERVICE
Reed Exhibitions Messe Wien
END-OF-SHOW REPORT
The Aquatherm 2014 at Messe Wien:
Austria’s most important trade fair for plumbed
appliances, heating and ventilation ‘clearly justifies its existence’
An accurate gauge for the industry:
Industry review of 2013 and a preview of 2014
237 exhibitors from 15 countries attract over 18,000 trade visitors +++
Comprehensive market overview +++ Austria’s largest showcase for the latest
bathroom, design & plumbed appliances +++ New: Business Owners’ Day +++
VIENNA (4th February 2014). – This year the Aquatherm, Austria’s most important
bathroom, heating and ventilation fair, was held at Messe Wien from the 28th – 31st
January. Reed Exhibitions Messe Wien stages this national commercial platform for
the latest products in ventilation, heating, plumbed appliances, bathroom designs
and fittings once every two years. This year’s show attracted 237 domestic and
foreign exhibitors*) from 15 countries to the Messe Wien complex. 18,047 trade
visitors were able to gather information, discover and to pre-select all the latest
functional and design-orientated solutions for plumbed and fitted home appliances
before the start of the building season and the main public access fairs. Every
seventh visitor came to the Aquatherm 2014 at Messe Wien from a neighbouring
region over the Austrian border.
New: ‘Business Owners’ Friday’
‘This interesting new feature contributed to the success of the Aquatherm 2014 by
enabling us to expand the well-established target group of businesses planning,
purchasing and installing bathrooms, toilets, heating and ventilation’, reported
Matthias Limbeck (Dipl.-Ing.), CEO of the organisers Reed Exhibitions Messe Wien.
He added: ‘For the first time the final day of the show (Friday, 31st January) was
advertised as ‘Business Owners’ Friday’ to which managers and owners from other
sectors were invited. Hence, people with a more indirect thematic relationship to the
plumbing, heating and ventilation sectors, and those who can be considered to be
potential clients for related service providers.’ The expanded circle includes
hoteliers, restaurant owners, doctors, facility managers and, similarly, health and
social service facilities, and operations above a certain size with a resultant need for
modernisation, rebuilding or servicing as regards their plumbing, heating and
ventilation infrastructure. Gerhard Perschy (Ing.), Head of Group Exhibitions at Reed
Exhibitions Messe Wien, explained the idea behind the move: ‘This gives visitors
from these sectors a special opportunity to gather comprehensive, first-hand
information on all the most recently introduced and most advanced solutions and
services in sanitary facilities, heating and ventilation. In turn this enables them to
discuss their development projects with planners, plumbers and tradesmen armed
with a far greater degree of information.’
Aquatherm – key themes
Renewable energy and bathroom trends 2014
This year’s Aquatherm featured a concentrated look at the issues of renewable
energy, sustainability, environmental protection and the latest bathroom trends. In
this way the Aquatherm 2014 dealt with the prevailing themes driving current market
trends. Throughout Austria the Aquatherm is the only trade fair that offers the full
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range of heating, ventilation, sanitary facilities, plumbing and bathroom fixtures and
fittings businesses – all under one roof. Furthermore, another unique aspect of the
Aquatherm is that it is the only Austrian B2B trade fair able to provide a truly
representative display of baths and bathroom design, plumbed appliances, sanitary
facilities, taps and fittings. Exhibition Manager Markus Reingrabner (Ing.), explained,
‘One of the key functions of the Aquatherm is to provide specialists in the respective
manufacturing businesses, skilled trades and sales outlets with the requisite
information on the latest issues and future challenges facing the market. Customers
know exactly what they want; they are very well informed and expect tradesmen and
companies to incorporate their ideas and wishes. The Aquatherm provides powerful
support for trade visitors with technical expertise offering a transfer of knowledge.’
For the second time at the Aquatherm: The Bathroom Planning Competition
In tune with the focus on bathroom trends, the Aquatherm 2014 staged the
competitive search for the perfect bathroom for the second time. The goal of this
year’s competition was to provide a platform for those responsible for installing
creatively designed bathrooms and draw attention to solutions to challenges faced
dealing with the issues of comfort and convenience, safety and environmental
sustainability. A total of 323 ‘OaseBad’ plumbers in Austria were entitled to compete.
The jury was comprised of an architect, Monika Klenovec (Dipl.-Ing) and Hans
Wiesinger (Ing.) - design for all, Manfred Denk MBA (Denk GmbH) and Christian
Höfner (Artweger) – awarded the prize to Maxonus, a company from Admont in
Styria, who proved to be unbeatable with their daring concept, clever details and
professional implementation. The prize was a holiday for two at a 4-star sport and
spa hotel that places great emphasis on barrier-free mobility.
Three out of four poll participants gave the Aquatherm 2014 top marks
The visitor poll carried out by the researchers from ‘market Institut‘ in Linz revealed
that 3 out of 4 trade visitors were very pleased with the show and that 95% gave it
an A or B grade (A - E). Almost half of the visitors (48.2%) were regulars. 3 out of 10
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(29.2%) attended the Aquatherm for the first time. Nine out of ten interviewees said
they intended to recommend the Aquatherm to business associates as a source of
information, and 85.9% stated they had benefitted by attending the fair. 58.8%
discovered new products, 47.6% discovered new suppliers, and 30.1% used the
show to buy goods or place orders.
The largest numbers of visitors came from plumbing trades and related businesses
(26.1%) and household technology providers (14%), followed by freezing, cooling,
air conditioning and ventilation (10%), wholesale sector (8.1%), retail (6.4%), energy
providers (6.2%), civil engineers and technical offices (4%), and architects (3.6%).
Listed in terms of the most common function 20.1% came from sales and
distribution, 19.4% chief executives, 18.2% were self-employed business proprietors
and 13.9% skilled employees. 66.2% were empowered to make, or share in,
purchasing decisions – and 87% had an advisory influence. Hence, as well as
attracting owners and managers, the fair also pulled in significant number of
businesses – particularly the employees thereof.
Exhibitors: ‘The Aquatherm has justified its existence yet again’
Michael Mattes (KommR Ing.), National Master Guildsman for the sanitary, heating
and ventilation technicians is right behind the Aquatherm: ‘After a fairly usual quiet
start there was an encouraging jump in the number of visitors. I only heard positive
exhibitor reactions to visitor attendance numbers, about conversations held and the
reactions of the trade visitors at the booths. We were also delighted with
participation in our trade newspaper’s market partner events, and with the
introduction of the Eco design guideline that will require additional expertise from our
industry in the future. The now traditional joint visit of women away from the world of
bathroom design to the world of heating technology went down exceedingly well. I
hope the companies unfortunately missing at this edition of the fair will be back at
the next show, and that the entire industry gives its concerted support to an event
that is so important for the plumbing and sanitary facility installation sectors. Finally,
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I would like to express our gratitude to the exhibitors, organisers and all those
involved.’
Rudolf Stelzl (Mag.), Chairman of the Board of the Austrian Boiler Suppliers
Association (VÖK), responded similarly: ‘If we had judged the Aquatherm by the
first day we would have been way off target. The start was as slow as ever.
However, the few visitors present benefitted from the excellent concentration of
advice and were mostly people who consciously chose the first day to gain the
undivided attention of the exhibitors. Wednesday’s attendance was normal, and
on Thursday and Friday there were big crowds. What more could we ask for?
More exhibitors! Sadly, some companies lacked either the courage or the money
to exhibit, and may be regretting it now. The Aquatherm justified its existence yet
again and the overwhelming opinion of the suppliers of heating devices was that
the show is in great demand. ‘The sleeping giant awakes’. In 2016, subject to a
number of organisational changes, we will be welcoming the Aquatherm back.
Bruno Diesenreiter, CEO at Artweger GesmbH. & Co. KG, stated: ‘In summary,
we weren’t absolutely thrilled with the Aquatherm, but we actually had good
reasons to be satisfied. We welcomed a similar number of visitors to our stand as
we did at the Aquatherm two years ago. We also noted that consumers were
increasingly taking the opportunity to gather information on our range of products.
Visitor activity is obviously dependent upon the overall economic situation, which
is also evident at a trade fair. The positioning of the Aquatherm as the leading
Austrian show for our industry was confirmed, even if there could have been a
wider range of exhibitors in some product areas. The next Aquatherm is not far
off and the task in the meantime must be to increase the interest of the industry in
participation.’
Reinhold W. Scheuchl (DI BW), Chairman of the Association of Installation Industry
Suppliers (VIZ), summarised thus at the end of the event: ‘After the expectedly slow
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start on Tuesday plenty of visitors found their way to the fair to gather detailed
information on standard goods and new products. The presence of the specialist
wholesale sector was impressive and revealed two sides of the coin. On the one
hand their efforts clearly attracted increased numbers of visitors, although the long
period spent by visitors at their stands limits the amount of time available for visiting
the stands in the industrial sector. Overall most visitors seemed to be happy with the
fair, though I’m sure there are many ways in which the event can be improved.’
The next events for the relevant sectors are shows open to the general public
Reed Exhibitions is staging two related public access trade fairs in the first half of
February: ‘Bauen+Wohnen 2014’ at Messezentrum Salzburg (6th – 9th February) and
‘Bauen & Energie Wien 2014’ at Messe Wien (13th – 16th February).
Sanitary, heating & ventilation industry: 2013 review & 2014 preview
Representatives of the sanitary, heating and ventilation installation industries used
the Aquatherm press discussion on the first day of the show to present reviews,
previews, to provide information on the current situation and discuss expectations
for the future. The host, Reed Exhibitions CEO Matthias Limbeck (DipI.-Ing.), and
presemter Dr. Elisabeth Berger (CEO for the Austrian Association of Boiler
Suppliers (VÖK) faced the press alongside the following members of the industry (in
alphabetical order): Bruno Diesenreiter (CEO of Artweger GesmbH. & Co. KG),
Michael Mattes (KommR Ing.) - National Master Guildsman for the sanitary, heating
and ventilation technicians, Reinhold W. Scheuchl (DI BW) Chairman of the
Association of Installation Industry Suppliers (VIZ), and Rudolf Stelzl (Mag.) –
President of the Austrian Association of Boiler Suppliers (VÖK).
Heating boilers are out. Hybrid systems are soaring in popularity.
Rudolf Stelzl (Mag.), President of the VÖK, reported two noticeable trends from the
previous year – one towards state-of-the-art hybrid systems, the other towards
simple cost-optimised systems. ‘Due to the boom in the renovation market we are
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also expecting immense demand for premium hybrid systems in 2014; although we
believe renovations can be expected to fall off again. The signs of economic
recovery may blur the focus on issues such as saving money and energy. We will
have to see what effect the incoming energy efficiency guidelines have on buying
activity on the heating market. The industry is doing everything in its power to
prepare for imminent developments.’
The VÖK’s president summed up the past year in detail as follows: ‘After a good first
six months the positive trend slowed down considerably in the following half year.
Overall, traditional oil and gas heating boilers experienced an upturn, whereas
turnover from systems based on renewable resources dropped in some cases.
According to our aggregate the overall result slipped back 3% compared with the
previous year. Oil system boiler sales rose by 250 units to around 5300 units or an
increase of 5% compared to 2012. Strong demand for wall-mounted gas-fired water
heaters fuelled a slight improvement of around +2%. Sales of approximately 49,000
gas boilers highlight the fact that this is the most important segment in the heating
sector. However, there was also a slip in sales of biomass heating units. Around
11,000 pellet-heating units and approximately 8000 solid fuel systems were
installed; the overall drop being one of 16% on the previous year. The retreat of
solar heating couldn’t be stopped in 2013 either. The VÖK predicted a fall in sales of
over 20%. Heat pump sales results are expected to hit roughly the same mark as
last year at around 17.500 due to the immense interest in air-source heat pumps.
Skilled trades facing new challenges
Speaking on behalf of the sanitary appliances, heating and ventilation technicians,
National Master Guildsman Michael Mattes (KommR Ing.) said, ‘The customer of
tomorrow wants a whole system from a single source, including a partner for service
and repair work. We will not be able to achieve the 2020 goal of CO2 emission
reduction and the change-over to renewable energy resources via subsidisation
policies that in my opinion defy the laws of physics and economic reason. The
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targeted savings can only be achieved by renovating existing systems in adherence
to expert guidelines for system planning and assembly. This is a field of activity that
we plumbed appliance technicians have to provide more energetically. However,
this will require a solid understanding of building physics, plant technology, gauging,
regulating and electro-technologies.’
Mr. Mattes explained that the building trade has been in steady decline for many
years. ‘In the 1970s it accounted for 17% of GDP. In the 1990s it still reached 12%
and the drop to the current level of 9% is very tangible. The value of a building is a
50:50 mix of the value of the building materials used and the standard of work
invested in their installation, which begs the question – what remains for our
industry? When larger systems have to be integrated there are, of course, be plenty
of points of contact with other trades with tasks that can only be solved by plumbers
and their technical expertise. Plumbed technology in buildings is often planned on a
larger scale and the plumber is only expected to fulfil his tasks much further down
the line, without the opportunity to contribute his technical experience. It then takes
much more physical effort and know-how to make a building liveable and workable.
Universal accessibility is a key issue in bathroom and toilet design
Bruno Diesenreiter, CEO of Artweger GesmbH. & Co. KG, reveals just how central a
bathroom is to a convenient and barrier-free home living environment in a society
with an increasingly aging population: ‘The bathroom is the place most closely
associated with the notion of living a self-dependant life within in the comfort of
one’s own home. There is an ever-increasing target group looking for a bathroom
that offers the highest standards of comfort and convenience, aesthetics, safety and
hygiene, particularly for people whose mobility is significantly restricted. These
aspects guarantee an acceptable degree of quality of life through to advanced old
age’. It is the task of the bathroom and toilet industry to incorporate these aspects
into the design of their products. ‘Regardless of the names given to such products
by the industry, be it ‘Easy Bathroom’, ‘Universal Design’ or ‘Design for all’ -
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ultimately it is important for people to be able to move around safely within their
domestic environments, while feeling comfortable and well. Those serving these
needs face a challenging and rewarding task.’
A GfK study verifies these claims, stating that around 80% of people over 40 would
like to stay in their own homes when they are old. 60% prioritise the adaptation, and
thus the renovation, of their bathrooms. Mr. Diesenreiter concluded, ‘If you consider
the results of a study based on various investigations which claims that only 13% of
houses offer completely barrier-free accessibility, and another 24% only partial
barrier-free mobility, you can roughly work out the investment volume to be
expected.
VIZ to zero into the black for 2014
Reinhold W. Scheuchl (DI, BW), Chairman of the Association of Installation Industry
Suppliers (VIZ), presented market research statistics gathered for the VIZ in
November 2013. Over 600 Austrian plumbers and sanitary appliance installation
businesses were polled. He explained: ‘The poll revealed that in the sanitary
appliances sector turnover had been around 6% down from expectations stated at
the beginning of the year, while turnover in heating was around a fifth better than
predicted’. In 2014 the skilled trades are expecting zero growth in sanitary appliance
and installation service. For heating an increase of 3% over last year is being
predicted. In all of the sectors it was private households that generated the largest
share of business, mainly driven by the trend towards renovation. The best index
values in heating were recorded on the westernmost counties, in Northern
Burgenland and in Upper Austria. The poorest results were recorded in Carinthia
and Styria. The installations market is led by northern Burgenland, ahead of Tyrol;
Carinthia and Styria finishing way behind the rest. Sanitary and other plumbed
installations performed at a similar level. Vienna and Lower Austria are both midtable suggesting a lack of larger projects. The main movers among the product
groups were ground level shower systems (although still relatively rare), fire
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prevention, surface heating and cooling systems, air conditioning, calorific boilers
and water treatment plants. There was a heavy fall-off in demand for bathroom
fittings, bathroom furniture, steel tubs and conventional boilers. (+++)
For up-to-date information on the Aquatherm – go to: www.aquatherm.at,
www.facebook.com/aquathermvienna or
Twitter @messe_at
NB! Press information and photos can be downloaded here:
www.aquatherm.at
For more press information – please contact:
Reed Exhibitions Messe Wien/Press & PR:
Press Office Manager: Paul Hammerl (Mag.)
E-mail: paul.hammerl@messe.at
Editor: Oliver-John Perry
Tel. +43 (0)1 727 20 2421
E-mail: oliver-john.perry@messe.at
Organisation: Natascha Berger, BA
Tel. +43 (0) 1 727 20 2420, Fax 2429
E-mail: natascha.berger@messe.at
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