Service providers to join exhibitors at International fair

Home Channel News, Nov 22, 1999 by Scott Larson

NEW YORK -- When a group of high-profile tool makers returns to the annual International Hardware Fair in Cologne, Germany, after a one-year absence, they'll find a much different trade show awaiting.

For the first time, companies that provide services such as business software, in-store displays, logistical support and trademark protection will be among the more than 3,750 exhibitors filling the convention center's 14 halls when the four-day global gathering of the hardware and home improvement industry convenes on March 12, 2000.

"With the new millennium we introduce a new service which, in conjunction with the [products on display], adds a new dimension to the usefulness of the fair," said Hans Wilke, executive director of the fair's sponsor, the KolnMesse, during a press luncheon here. "We are convinced that this service and still a more comprehensive supporting program will provide resources that will tie the industry even more closer to Cologne."

Service exhibitors will occupy one half of Hall 9, which grew by 100,000 square feet since the 1999 fair. The rest of Hall 9 will house overflow from the fair's World Tools Centre, including the seven tool vendors that opted out of last year's event in favor of exhibiting on an every-other-year basis.

Those vendors -- Black & Decker, Atlas Copco, Makita, Bosch, Metabo, Mafell and Festo -- traditionally occupied prominent spots in Hall 14, the WTC'S showcase venue. Their 1999 defection, however, cost them those prized spots. Halls 9 and 14 are connected by a passageway built as part of the expansion.

All told, exhibitors of tools, DIY products and security/ locks and fittings from 50 countries will fill the 3 million-square-foot KolnMesse where their products will be seen by an anticipated crowd of 96,000 visitors from 120 countries, Wilke said.