International Flooring Media News, Asia

DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR, the event of the year for the floor covering industry in Asia was a resounding success where innovation and green products reigned at the 2011 edition of Asia's biggest flooring event.

The 2011 edition was the show’s largest installment ever with 1,060 exhibitors and 107,100 sqm of gross exhibits, a sharp 15% increase of floor space compared to last year. 39,343 visitors attended the three day event, attendance virtually identical to last year's record breaking crowd.

Efforts to increase the show’s value for both attendees and exhibitors seems to have paid off according to show management who report that exhibitors noted a marked improvement in the demographics of the crowd and described it as even more professional and specialized than previous years.  “The spectacular increase of pre-registration figures, up 80 percent over last year’s pre-registration figures, signaled to us that the attendance would this year be extremely business focused,” explained Kitty Bai, DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR show director. “The comments received by many exhibitors, who declared having signed important orders at the show, have confirmed it.”

One couldn’t help but notice the energy flowing through the show. “The energy of this show has been fantastic. The mood is positive with both products and people focused on the future,” said Jim Gould, President of the Floor Covering Institute. While the aisles were crowded from morning to afternoon, the word on everyone’s lips was “innovation.” Innovative locking systems for luxury vinyl tiles were prolifically displayed in halls W1 and W2, carpet making demonstrations conducted by a Tibetan weaver and an exciting Persian carpet display area highlighted hall E1 while flooring installation demonstrations done live and for the first time at DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR generated strong interest in Hall E7. “Green, sustainable, and low-carbon” were also some of the prominent concepts emerging this year. “It seems that environmental care is becoming a motto for many manufacturers and is shaping the new products and application we can see on the show floor this year,” observed Wang Xiaoyu, Marketing Director of Power Dekor.  

The numerous product launches coming from Asian companies and the growth of the show may be indicators of the pending shift in the market, from the traditional dominance by the US and EU to more demand in Asia, demand fueled by China’s construction boom. Thomas Baert, President of Chinafloors / Lamett summed it up best when he remarked, “The numerous product launches during DOMOTEXAsia/CHINAFLOOR, combined with the extraordinary growth of the show, suggest that Asia Pacific has become a leader in the flooring markets of the world. This makes DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR a crucial platform for the industry that should not be missed by any flooring professional who wants to do business in Asia Pacific or anywhere else.”

Parallel to the trade show, numerous specialized events completed a program busier than in any other previous edition. For instance, the Wood Flooring Forum gathered 350 industry patrons and had this year tailored-made breakout sessions for Eastern and Western buyers. Organized for the first time at DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR, the ABBS Sustainable Building Design and Technology Forum was also a major highlight of the week, attracting more than 300 renowned architects to discuss the topic “Regeneration of Green Building.” The concurrent CSB forum was also successfully held at the show, a major event widely acclaimed as the forerunner in the promotion of ecology within the construction industry in China. Finally the Green China roundtable gathered over 300 prominent industry Chinese executives including Liu Xiaoguang, President of Beijing Capital Group, Qian Xiaohua, General Manager of Greentown China, Zhang Zaidong, President of Fengshang Real Estate among other high-level representatives from Chinese real estate giants Vanke, Tomsom or CITIC real estate.

“The success of this year on-site rebooking program with nearly 20,000sqm net sold in one day and numerous exhibitors increasing their exhibit space anticipates a continuous growth of the show for the 2012 edition” said David Zhong, President of VNU Exhibitions Asia. “For this reason and to measure up to the industry’s expectations, we will work towards shaping additional education and networking events to next year’s program, such as a bamboo focused summit.”

The next edition of the show will be held at Shanghai New International Exhibition Center on 27-29 March, 2012.