INT. EISENWARENMESSE 

Press Release

EISENWARENMESSE – INTERNATIONAL HARDWARE FAIR COLOGNE 2024: EARLY BIRD PROMOTION ACHIEVES A GOOD RESULT IN THE APPLICATION PHASE

Leading companies from home and abroad confirm their participation at the leading global trade fair for the hardware industry

Cologne, 20th June 2023 – The EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair Cologne 2024 has already experienced a very good response from the hardware industry during the first months of the registration period. The early bird promotion is a complete success not only internationally with exhibiting companies from 45 countries and a foreign share of 87 percent. Numerous German companies have also already confirmed their participation. Until June 30, 2023, exhibiting companies can secure their stand area at the EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair at reduced conditions.

The EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair is back in its old rhythm: the exhibition will once again open its doors at the usual time, from March 3 – 6, 2024. The start signal has already been given with the early bird promotion.

“The preliminary result of the early bird phase for the EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair 2024 gives us plenty of reasons to be extremely positive. We are pleased at the strong interest from abroad and at many German returnees who took a break from the special event in 2022. The high demand confirms the importance of the EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair as the most important global platform for the presentation of new products, services, and technologies as well as for maintaining business relationships from the hardware segment. We are very optimistic that we will achieve the planned exhibition area of 165,000 m2 in a total of six exhibition halls,” according to Matthias Becker, Director of the EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair Cologne.

DIY Boulevard und EISEN Award
The early bird phase already reflects the great interest in the DIY Boulevard: 45 companies have already applied for the presentation area. With the DIY Boulevard, the EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair, in cooperation with the Haus & Garten (HHG) manufacturer association, provides companies with the possibility to present their products in an environment close to POS. This means that trade visitors experience an authentic presentation of goods.

The coveted “EISEN Award powered by ZHH” 2024 will also be presented live again. In cooperation with the central association for the hardware trade (ZHH), the EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair will embark on a search for outstanding new ideas, inventions, and solutions from the industry. There will also once again be a special area in which the nominated products are presented to the trade public during the trade fair.

Promoting young companies
The EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair is part of the program established by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) for promoting participation of new, innovative companies in leading international trade fairs in Germany. The exhibition in this way hopes to promote the next generation in trades and industry. Eligible for sponsorship are freelance companies from industry, the trades, or technology-oriented companies that are based in Germany and have existed for no more than ten years. Supported is participation in a pavilion. A share of 60 percent of the expenses for the stand rental fees and construction eligible for support will be assumed.

Lead+Meet brings exhibiting companies and visitors together precisely
Exhibiting companies of the EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair 2024 can for the first time use the app of the special event to address important visitor groups in a targeted fashion. Lead+Meet is a digital feature that efficiently, simply, and individually brings together exhibitors and visitors on the fair grounds with personalized push messages that are issued via the improved trade fair app. Lead+Meet enables exhibitors to directly address their most important visitor target groups at the trade fair and invite them to their stand. When purchasing tickets, visitors provide various individual information such as product interests, industry, or country of origin. On the basis of this voluntary information, exhibitors identify the visitors appropriate to their offering. When entering the exhibition hall, the visitors receive a push message with an invitation to the trade fair stand directly on their smartphone via the trade fair app when they have actively selected this option. Via the new indoor navigation in the hall plan of the app, visitors can then quickly and easily find the direct route to the stand. Supply and demand are in this way brought together optimally.

Press Release

Successful relaunch for the EISENWARENMESSE – INTERNATIONAL HARDWARE FAIR in Cologne

+++ Around 25,000 visitors from 125 countries +++ Industry celebrates the trade fair’s relaunch after pandemic-related cancellations +++ Over 70 per cent of trade visitors travelled from outside Germany +++ Exhibitors praise high-quality contacts +++ Event’s results exceeded expectations 

After more than four years, the EISENWARENMESSE – INTERNATIONAL HARDWARE FAIR 2022 has celebrated a successful comeback in Cologne. Around 1,400 exhibitors from 50 countries took advantage of the opportunity to present their products and innovations to the entire hardware industry again. The spectrum of products presented ranged from tools and accessories to building and DIY supplies all the way through to fasteners, fixings and fittings.

After four successful days of trade fair activity, the EISENWARENMESSE – INTERNATIONAL HARDWARE FAIR 2022 has closed its doors in Cologne. With around 25,000 trade visitors from 125 countries, the event returned after a 4.5-year enforced break and immediately confirmed its importance as the number one trade fair for the international hardware industry.

“The sense of relief at finally being able to meet face to face again after such a long time and do business in person could be clearly felt among all our exhibitors and trade visitors throughout the entire trade fair,” said Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH. “You had the feeling that a big family was getting together again after a long time apart.”

“The trade fair was a success, especially in the context of the ongoing travel restrictions in Asia, the acute energy and raw materials crisis, and the geopolitical situation in many countries. The feedback from our exhibitors about the business contacts they’ve made is positive across the board. Clearly, companies made a strategic decision to attend the EISENWARENMESSE – INTERNATIONAL HARDWARE FAIR – the decision makers were here,” commented Oliver Frese.

EISEN Award 2022 powered by ZHH
The coveted EISEN Award was presented once again at the first EISENWARENMESSE – INTERNATIONAL HARDWARE FAIR after the pandemic. This time, Koelnmesse partnered with the German hardware trade association Zentralverband Hartwarenhandel (ZHH). From the more than 50 innovative products submitted, the expert jury selected the three prize winners of the EISEN Award 2022 powered by ZHH.

DIY Boulevard 2022
In cooperation with the manufacturers’ association Haus & Garten, Koelnmesse presented its 56 DIY suppliers with an exhibition area covering a total length of 272 metres, which had been fully booked long before the opening of the event. The DIY Boulevard offered manufacturers the unique experience of being able to design the POS in line with their branding with an authentic display of their merchandise as well as the chance to make direct contact with end customers.

eCommerce area
The digital transformation does not stop at the hardware industry. The EISENWARENMESSE – INTERNATIONAL HARDWARE FAIR has followed this development closely. With the eCommerce area, it provided the ideal platform for both finding and showcasing digital solutions. The spectrum of products and services ranged from shop systems and electronic payment systems to data storage and processing all the way through to search engine optimisation.

The next EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair Cologne will be held from 3 to 6 March 2024.

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