Following a highly successful DOMOTEX 2012, the organizers of the leading trade fair for carpets and floor coverings are busy enhancing the show for even more global appeal. Some 1,400 companies from 60 countries will be exhibiting their latest collections in Hannover from 12 to 15 January 2013, where they will host trade visitors from more than 80 countries.
The international floor coverings industry eagerly awaits its major event – DOMOTEX – that takes place in Hannover from 12-15 January 2013. Approx 1,400 companies from 60 countries will be showing their latest products and collections at the leading international trade fair for carpets and floor coverings. Some 40,000 trade visitors from more than 80 countries are expected in Hannover. “Only DOMOTEX in Hannover brings the supply and demand sides of the global flooring industry together so perfectly“, explains Dr. Jochen Köckler, member of the Managing Board at Deutsche Messe. “Year after year the industry produces new trends, designs and collections, and Hannover is the first place where they can be seen by a broader international audience. DOMOTEX is thus the most important date in everyone’s calendar in the carpet and flooring industries.”
Interest in high-quality floor coverings for homes and the contract business continues to run very high. 90 percent of DOMOTEX visitors are flooring buyers and decision-makers, architects, interior designers and members of the skilled trades. They come to DOMOTEX to inform themselves about the latest products and emerging trends, as well as to see business prospects from around the globe. Flooring plays a huge role in interior design, so buyers are looking for contemporary design and premium quality. As Köckler explains: “The main theme of DOMOTEX 2013 will be Flooring Deluxe, which addresses a significant trend on the international flooring market. In short, DOMOTEX 2013 will be putting a sharp focus on products which excel in terms of design, quality and originality.”
Flooring Deluxe provides the perfect setting for premium textile coverings, parquet and laminate flooring. The showcase will feature two dedicated sections, with textile floor coverings to be addressed in Hall 6 and parquet and laminate flooring in Hall 9. Köckler explains the concept behind Flooring Deluxe: “The themes covered by Flooring Deluxe will be emphasized throughout all of DOMOTEX, providing trade visitors with added inspiration and orientation.” Individual stands by leading vendors will be grouped around a special display at the heart of Flooring Deluxe. Areas will also be set aside for live presentations, visionary product installations and a lecture program, thus creating an all-encompassing showcase which fully addresses the information needs and interests of trade visitors, skilled trade staff, architects and interior designers.
Concept Rooms: Lifting flooring to new heights
Concept Rooms – exclusive product installations featured in a series of rooms – are at the heart of Flooring Deluxe. Their innovative, modular format lends itself perfectly to visionary concepts and room designs in which flooring plays a pivotal role. This can take the form of a holistic or novel room design, a commercial setting, a specially featured material or an unconventional installation. Whatever is spotlighted in the Concept Rooms, visitors will enjoy exploring them and gathering profound inspiration. The idea behind the displays is to convey the special effects produced by flooring in various contexts.
The Concept Rooms provide the world’s leading players with an excellent opportunity to call maximum attention to their premium products at DOMOTEX. This gives them an exclusive stage on which to dazzle their target audiences with products of supreme quality and appeal. By the same token, visitors will appreciate Flooring Deluxe as an excellent way of grasping the latest and greatest on offer in the premium segment, and of immersing themselves in the various philosophies, styles and cultural influences embodied by participating vendors. The Concept Rooms are an outstanding showcase for product highlights and installations from manufacturers of textile floor coverings, parquet and laminates. Köckler: “We are delighted by the positive echo we have been receiving from the industry. Many companies have already taken the initiative and approached us about staging a Concept Room of their own.”
A centrally located forum, as well as various lounge and catering areas and an after-hours party will round off flooring Deluxe. The lectures and panel discussions held in the forum will address key issues such as product design, product presentation and showroom design. There will also be a centrally located, exclusive lounge with catering.
Stefan Diez: Designer of creative stand concepts
The renowned German designer Stefan Diez is committed to designing Flooring Deluxe for DOMOTEX 2013. His designs, typically innovative and contemporary, are informed by extensive research into materials and the latest technologies. This approach has now been used to good effect in developing the concept for Flooring Deluxe. In particular, it reveals an intimate understanding of the premium products offered by the top-end manufacturers exhibiting at DOMOTEX.
Stefan Diez, born in Freising, Bavaria, in 1971, completed an apprenticeship in cabinet making before studying industrial design at the Academy of Art in Stuttgart. From 1996 to 2002 he worked as an assistant to Richard Sapper in Stuttgart, later to Konstantin Grcic in Munich. He opened his own studio in January 2003, specializing in product and exhibition design. His client portfolio includes Authentics, e15, Rosenthal, Schönbuch, Thonet and Wilkhahn. Stefan Diez is a Professor for Product Design at the University of Design in Karlsruhe.