Press release

No. 16 / March 2018, Cologne#IEW # EISENWARENMESSE

EISENWARENMESSE - INTERNATIONAL HARDWARE
FAIR COLOGNE 2018: Successful all the way downthe line••••Over 47,000 visitors from 143 countries
9 percent increase in the number of visitors
Over 70 percent of the trade visitors are from abroad
Focal theme digitalisation sets new impulses

INTERNATIONAL HARDWARE
FAIR
04.03. - 07.03.2018www.eisenwarenmesse.com
Your contact:

Sarah Becker-Kraft
Fully-booked exhibition halls, crowded aisles and a stimulating event
programme: EISENWARENMESSE - INTERNATIONAL HARDWARE FAIR COLOGNE
2018 closed its doors after four successful exhibition days,. With in total 2,770
exhibitors from 58 countries and over 47,000 trade visitors (plus 9 percent) from143 countries the event recorded a significant increase in the number ofvisitors. Decision-makers from all over the world made use of the number one
event of the hardware industry to discover the new products, innovations andtrends of the industry. Furthermore, the trade fair was able to once again
increase its level of internationality. "87 percent of the exhibitors and over 70percent of the trade visitors come from abroad. 143 countries were represented
among the trade visitors - an increase of 19 countries," stated Katharina C.
Hamma, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH. "As a result of this andthe significant growth in the number of visitors we were able to underpin theposition of EISENWARENMESSE - International Hardware Fair Cologne as thenumber one event of the hardware industry." The product show was flanked byan event programme that focused on the digitalisation of the industry.
This year's increased number of visitors was above all attributable to the rise in thenumber of trade visitors from abroad. Significant growth was registered from Asia,
especially from Japan, from North and South America, Africa and from the RussianFederation. 12 percent more trade visitors came from the USA alone. The number ofvisitors from Germany remained at a constant level. John W. Herbert, General
Secretary European DIY Retail Association (EDRA) and Global Home Improvement
Network (GHIN), explained the growth from abroad as follows: "EISENWARENMESSE International Hardware Fair Cologne 2018 was a total success for us. The renewed
adaption of the duration of the fair was particularly welcomed by our international
guests. The number of international buyers, whom we were able to welcome here inCologne, was correspondingly high: Our major member companies each attended
with up to 15 top buyers! It increases from year to year. That is a very gooddevelopment and it impressively underlines the international significance ofEISENWARENMESSE - International Hardware Fair Cologne. The DIY Boulevard as wellas the exemplary customer service round off the first-class overall impression of thisyear's EISENWARENMESSE - International Hardware Fair Cologne perfectly."Tel.

+49 221 821-3513Fax+49 221 821-3544
e-mails.becker-kraft@koelnmesse.deKoelnmesse GmbH
Messeplatz 150679 Köln
P.O. Box 21 07 6050532 Köln
Germany
Tel. +49 221 821-0
Fax +49 221 821-2574
www.koelnmesse.com
Executive Board:
Gerald Böse (President and Chief
Executive Officer)
Katharina C. Hamma
Herbert Marner
Chairwoman of the Supervisory
Board:
Mayor of the City of Cologne
Henriette Reker
Headquarters and place ofjurisdiction:
CologneDistrict Court Cologne, HRB 952

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The increases were also clearly noticeable for the exhibitors too. "We are very
happy with this year's EISENWARENMESSE - International Hardware Fair Cologne.
Particularly the numerous new contacts from South America and South Europe canbe assessed positively. Furthermore, we were able to greet customers - especiallyfrom the USA - who after being absent for the past years, attended
EISENWARENMESSE - International Hardware Fair Cologne again in 2018. These arevery positive developments. They underline the fact that EISENWARENMESSE International Hardware Fair Cologne with its concept-related changes is once again
satisfying the demands of the customers. Moreover, the high number of visitors fromabroad accentuates the international significance of the trade fair," confirmed
J. Wolfgang Kirchhoff, Chairman of the Advisory Board of EISENWARENMESSE International Hardware Fair Cologne
Rainer Langelüddecke, Managing Director of the Trade Association of the Tool
Industry e.V. (FWI), also shared this positive conclusion: "From the point of view ofour members the trade fair went superbly. The four days of the fair hardly sufficed
for some of the exhibitors in Hall 10, the tool hall, to hold all of the necessary
discussions. EISENWARENMESSE - International Hardware Fair Cologne is an absolutemust for our industry due to the high level of internationality alone, because
together our companies have an export rate of 70 percent and we supply 212
countries in the world. And many partners from these countries are on-site inCologne to hold discussions and intensify their business relations."
Formats satisfy the customer demands
In addition to the new products, innovations and trends from the segments Tools,
Industrial Supply, Fasteners and Fixings, Fittings, in cooperation with the Associationof House & Garden Manufacturers e.V. (HHG) the DIY Boulevard convinced once
again in the Home Improvement section. The format of the innovations per runningmeter sustainably convinced the top players of the construction, home and garden
industry: With over 235 metres it created a pull effect. Dr. Peter Wüst, Chief
Executive Director of the Federal Association of the German DIY, Building and
Garden e.V. (BHB) said: "Overall, the industry has positively taken note of the factthat more exhibitors came to Cologne again this year. Some of them were evenrepresented at larger stands in the Boulevard section so they could present themany innovations. In general, the Sunday was also very positively evaluated because
on this day the buyers had ample time for intensive discussions that go far beyond
merely the product."
The industry is facing the digitalisation
One of the stimulating trend themes of EISENWARENMESSE - International Hardware
Fair Cologne was the theme digitalisation that an extensive event programme wasdedicated to. Highlights included the two-day dSummit with lectures and exhibitors
in the scope of the EISENforum, the Start-up Village as well as the "3D printing Additive Production" special event. In addition to the DIY Boulevard, the Associationof House & Garden Manufacturers e.V. also supported the Start-up Village, which
was curated by Richard van Hooijdonk. "50 exhibitors from our association took partin the Boulevard. The mood is very positive, because many national andinternational customers were on-site. The association intensively supported the2/4

Start-up Village too - from our point of view a very future-looking concept, which
unfortunately is still viewed with certain scepticism by many of the industries. Here,we will have to do adjust the screws slightly in the future because this is thefuture," accentuated Rolf Rahmede, Executive Director of the HHG..
In the opinion of Thomas Dammann, Executive Director of the Central Associationof the Hardware Trade e.V. (ZHH), the trade fair was also a total success and an
important trendsetter in the age of digitalisation. "EISENWARENMESSE - InternationalHardware Fair Cologne once again offered the trade a good opportunity to meet up
with many important national and international tool partners. Alongside exciting andattractive product innovations, one could also pick up on diverse sales andmarketing aspects for one's own business. These included for example the theme
digitalisation or the depicted opportunity of 3D printing," stated Dammann.
In addition to the trend theme, EISENWARENMESSE - International Hardware Fair
Cologne offered further opportunities to exchange information and network in theform of the BME Buyers Days, the Hardware Seminar and the Trainee Day.
The EISEN Award 2018
For the fourth time already, together with their partners, Koelnmesse conferred theEISEN Award on the first evening of the fair at the Welcome Party. The EISEN CSR
Award powered by BHB (went to KNIPEX-Werk C. Gustav Putsch KG. The Innovation
Award 2018 powered by ZHH was conferred to HAZET-Werk Hermann Zerver Gmbh &Co. KG (HiPer fine-toothed reversible ratchet 916 HP - 1000 Nm, 90 teeth), KNIPEXWERK C. Gustav Putsch KG (KNIPEX rope cutter 95 62 160) and Wiha WerkzeugeGmbH (Wiha SpeedE). The winners were selected by the respective expert jury froma total of twelve nominees.
EISENWARENMESSE - INTERNATIONAL HARDWARE FAIR COLOGNE 2018 in figures
2,770 companies (2016: 2,672) from 58 countries (2016: 55) took part at
EISENWARENMESSE - International Hardware Fair in 2018, 87 percent of which(2014:87) were from abroad. Including estimates for the last day of the fair,EISENWARENMESSE - International Hardware Fair 2018 attracted over 47,000 tradevisitors (2016: 43,014) from 143 countries (2016: 124), of which over 70 percent(2016: around 63) came from abroad.** All figures are calculated in accordance with the guidelines of the Association for
the Voluntary Control of Trade Fair and Exhibition Statistics (Gesellschaft zur
Freiwilligen Kontrolle von Messe- und Seite Ausstellungszahlen, FKM) and are subject
to checking by an auditor (www.fkm.de).
The next EISENWARENMESSE - International Hardware Fair Cologne is scheduled totake place from 1 to 4 March 2020.
Note for editorial offices:
EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair Cologne photos are available in ourimage database on the Internet at www.eisenwarenmesse.com in the “Press”
section. Press information is available at: www.eisenwarenmesse.com/
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http://news.eisenwarenmesse.de/en/Your contact in case of queries:
Sarah Becker-Kraft
Tel. +49 221 821-3513
Fax +49 221 821-3544
E-mail: s.becker-kraft@koelnmesse.deInternet: www.koelnmesse.com
Koelnmesse GmbH
Messeplatz 150679 Köln, Germany