ISH makes a splash

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Messe Frankfurt’s ISH 2009, the global show for the bathroom, plumbing and air-conditioning industry, has been declared a resounding success by its organisers.

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the show drew 202,000 visitors and 2,361 exhibitors from 58 countries to Frankfurt, Germany between March 10 and 14. The number represents a slight decline on the 2007 show, which attracted some 217,000 visitors and 2,372 exhibitors, but the comparable figures were heralded by Messe Frankfurt as proof of the stability of the sector despite the challenging economic situation.

The event also bucked the trend by having a higher than ever proportion of foreign visitors. Around 30% of guests attending the show came from outside Germany, with large delegations from Italy, the Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, the UK, Poland, Sweden and Spain.

“Our expectations were surpassed. This outcome is clinching proof that positive development is both possible and important in times of crisis too. This is because it shows that future-oriented solutions are still in great demand,” said Michael Peters, a member of the Messe Frankfurt board of management.

“ISH continues to provide an important impetus to the market – we have received constant confirmation of this in our extensive interaction with sector players and from the impressively positive mood that prevailed here.”

ISH proved a particularly beneficial experience for designers looking to create world-class bathrooms. 700 companies exhibited in the Bathroom Experience stream of the show, which also reflected an ever-growing focus on sustainability.

“An important trend in bathroom design is the development of sustainable plumbing solutions geared towards more responsible usage of the scarce resource that is water. The efforts that have already been made by the German plumbing industry in this regard have been conveyed effectively by the “Blue Responsibility” information campaign.

Accordingly, this year’s ISH has left us with an even firmer belief that our sector will remain resistant to the economic crisis,” said Andreas Dornbracht, CEO of Dornbracht.

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As ever, the show was an opportunity for companies to introduce new products onto the market. Italian firm Bertocci used ISH as a platform to introduce three new collections, including the Inside series for incorporating built-in elements in walls, the Grimalde range of bathroom fitting which blend nature and Renaissance styling, and a new modular fitting system called 3+1.

With the ongoing economic situation on everyone’s minds, exhibitors maintained an upbeat approach to the show, citing it as a good opportunity to cement old relationships and explore new ones. “The fair was better than expected given the period of world crisis. We met old and new customers,” said Alberto Brunelli, chairman, Artceram.

His views were echoed by Marco Pauri, export manager, Hidra Ceramica. “We have met old and new potential customer and we have received some orders,” he said. “We are happy because our products have interested a lot of people.”

Some exhibitors were slightly dissatisfied with the number of visitors, but were taking a longer-term view of business. “The number of visitors in general was much less than expected,” said Anna Baronti, export manager of Bertocci. “However, based on our experience, the actual success of a show can only be judged a few months later.”

The Dornbracht company was particularly upbeat about the show, debuting its line of Supernova fixtures and fittings.

“We had very good talks with our most important customers. Our new line, Supernova, in particular seemed to be a huge success and we received several orders to equip showrooms with Supernova. Specific deals in terms of sales will be done after ISH,” said Dornbracht.

Indeed, Messe Frankfurt reported that 82% of exhibitors claimed they had achieved their targets for the show, suggesting a high satisfaction rate all round. Providers had particular praise for the internationality and high quality of visitors, the number of new contacts made and the level of orders placed during the biannual trade fair, according
to the organisers.

As a result, exhibitors also confirmed that they were likely to return for the 2011 edition of the show. “Generally speaking, shows like ISH are always a very good opportunity for a company like ours,” said Baronti. “We are willing to attend the next ISH in the hope that the international crisis will definitely be over in two years.”

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