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Elite international suppliers at the JSWB: ZOW in Shanghai attracts a good 4000 visitors

ZOW in Shanghai, which took place in the JSWB Global Home Furnishings Center for the first time in September 2008, may have been modest in size but certainly impressed visitors. A selection of elite international supplier companies were represented at ZOW, including the likes of Hettich, Henkel, Huwil, Jowat, Moralt, Pfleiderer, Titusplus, Vauth Sagel and Ungricht. ZOW attracted a good 4000 visitors to the JSWB in Shanghai, and it was the trendsetter of the sector with its innovative range of products. Visitors praised the concentrated presentation at ZOW and were very taken with the attractive exhibition venue.

For Peter H. Meyer, managing director of Survey and founder of ZOW, the exhibition’s move away from Furniture China (CMP) and from the former venue SNIEC to the JSWB Global Home Furnishings Center is the result of serious strategic considerations. Meyer said, “We were stuck at a dead-end with CMP. We could have filled an entire hall there, but only half of it was made available to us. Because of that we suffered losses for years. Furthermore they asked us not to organise any further exhibitions in China and, above all, not to enter into a partnership with the SZFA Shenzhen Trade Furniture Association. That says something about the clout of our new partner in Shenzhen."

Speaking of the new venue, the Global Home Furnishings Center, Meyer said, “This signifies a new start for us in China from square one. But this is much better than being stuck at a dead-end. Anyone who is aware of the plans for the JSWB with its concentration on high-quality products for the domestic market (currently, 200,000 m² of exhibition space; in the future, this will be 700,000 m²) knows that in future, the sky's the limit. This strategy is being supported by expansion plans from the Shanghai city council, which wants to make the west of the city the focal point in the future.” With regard to the competing event at the SNIEC, the ZOW founder commented: “I had to smile when people came and told me that exhibition concepts are being copied now in China. But not all copycats understand the original and so their copy fails.”

In any case, eight visitors to ZOW in Shanghai will have the chance to experience the original for themselves, because they have won a trip to Germany. They took part at a prize draw with their registration automatically. Eight is the lucky number in China, and for that reason eight winners were chosen to come to Germany in February 2009. A visit to ZOW in Bad Salzuflen (9-12 February 2009) and to Material Connexion in Cologne, the German subsidiary of the world famous material library is on the itinerary. You can enjoy the hospitality of East Westphalia in Bad Salzuflen, and in Cologne, you can experience the vibrant city flair of this cultural metropolis in the middle of Germany.

Anyone who missed Shanghai will have another opportunity to be at a ZOW in China in Spring 2009 – whether they are exhibitors or visitors. The second ZOW in China premieres at the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center at the heart of the furniture industry in southern China from 19-22 March 2009. It is running at the same time and place as the Shenzhen International Furniture Exhibition (SIFE), which attracts more than 60,000 visitors each year to the economic hub in the Pearl River delta. SIFE is the furniture exhibition for the Chinese high-end market – here, unlike at the export-oriented exhibitions in Guangzhou and Dongguan, the products on display feature independent design and exclusive quality. It’s the perfect place for a new ZOW in China!