FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany — Texcare International closed its doors June 4 after setting a new attendance record, show planner Messe Frankfurt reports. A total of 15,500 visitors from 80 countries throughout the world visited Texcare — an increase of 17% from the 2004 show’s 13,330 attendees.
More than half (52%) of visitors came from outside Germany, Messe Frankfurt says, boosting international attendance 6% from the previous show. The top five foreign contingents arrived from fellow E.U. member nations Italy, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Great Britain. Texcare also experienced increases in attendance from East Europe and the United States.
“Texcare International has further expanded its undisputed position as the world’s leading trade fair for modern textile care,” says Detlef Braun, a board member of Messe Frankfurt. “More exhibitors, 11% more exhibition space and an increase of 17% in the number of visitors provide impressive evidence of this event’s global significance.”
A whopping 85% of exhibitors say they achieved their goals at Texcare, Messe Frankfurt notes. The final number of exhibitors was 257, with many market leaders in the industrial laundry and drycleaning trades represented.
“The expectations of exhibitors at Texcare International 2008 have been exceeded by a wide margin,” says Elgar Straub, general manager of the German textile-care allied-trades association VDMA. “One reason for this is undoubtedly the good economic situation, which paved the way for investments in high-tech equipment.”
The economic situation in Europe is improving for drycleaning and laundry businesses, Messe Frankfurt says. Some 81.5% of exhibitors rated the business climate as satisfactory or good, while their outlook was considerably more pessimistic in 2004.
Texcare tends to emphasize the laundry side of the business, which is currently experiencing growth in Europe. By the numbers, about half (50%) of all visitors said they were primarily interested in laundry machinery, 43% were looking for detergents and 41% for finishing equipment. Some 39% of visitors attended mainly to see drycleaning equipment.
Nonetheless, “Texcare International once again demonstrated its importance as the international marketplace for ideas and services in the drycleaning trade,” says Friedrich Eberhard, vice president of the German drycleaning association DTV. “We are very pleased with the response from visitors and the strong commitment of exhibitors.”
The Texcare Forum also proved popular, with an average of 565 attendees on each of four days of educational sessions. “We are very pleased,” says Peter Wennekes, general manager of the European association CINET. “Thanks to the good working relationship with the associations and organizations involved, we were able to put together a comprehensive program covering the most important topics for all segments of the laundry and drycleaning sector.”
The next Texcare International will take place in Frankfurt in May 2012. For information, visit www.texcare.com.
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