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M Technology Award - organized by iF: ZOW 2007 to premiere new Product award

ZOW - Zuliefermesse Ost-Westfalen [East Westphalia Supplier Show] - is the central innovation exchange for the furniture and interior design industry. It's where every year the industry catches up on new developments in furniture technology and design. Starting with ZOW 2007 in Bad Salzuflen, event organizer Bielefeld-based Survey Marketing + Consulting will be flagging up the future with the "M Technology Award", organized by iF (International Forum Design) - a new prize which recognizes outstanding supplier products on a broad, international basis.

ZOW just keeps on growing, and with it the concept of the quest for innovation. For four years now, "Innovations Scouting" has identified the most interesting solutions and novelties from among ZOW exhibitors.Ā 2007 will see the launch of a new and attractive international marketing tool: the "M Technology Award" - organized by iF. The award process is in the reliable hands of the iF International Forum Design, an organization internationally renowned for its iF Product Design Award, one of the three most prestigious design competitions in the world with over 50 years' tradition.

International open Competition

The point of departure for the new "M Technology Award" product accolade is the concept of broad, international dialogue. Therefore, as an annual open competition, the "M Technology Award" is attractive not only to exhibitors from the entire array of Survey's international ZOW events in Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia and China, but non-ZOW exhibitors can also take part and present their latest developments to a panel of international experts. Submissions are welcome for all ZOW product categories - Materials, Chemical Products, Surfaces, Interior Design Supply Products, Elements and Systems, Fittings, Semi-finished Products, Industry-related Services and Concepts.
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Panel features big Names

The winner will be chosen by a highly experienced panel in a confidential selection process. All seven judges are recognized experts drawn from the architecture, interior design, materials and design sectors. Prof. Ruth Berktold (Yes Architecture in Munich), Elke Kaiser (BDIA - German Interior Designers/Architects' Union in Bonn), Jan Hoet (Marta Museum in Herford), Nils Holger Moormann (Moormann MĆ¶bel GmbH in Aschau), Achim Nagel (Two Design in Cologne), Henning Peitsmeier (of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) and Rolf Warda (Warda Design in Cologne). Ā

Prof. Ruth Berktold founded the architecture agency, Yes Architecture Munich Graz New York, with Austrian Marian Wicher in 1994. Yes projects straddle architecture and urban planning, furniture, product and web design. Prof. Ruth Berktold was voted one of the "100 minds of tomorrow" in the 2006 "Germany, Land of Ideas" campaign. Ā

Graduate engineer, Elke Kaiser, CEO for 13 years at the BDIA [German Interior Designers/Architects' Union] in Bonn, is also Board Member for the European Council of Interior Architects (ECIA).
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Jan Hoet, an internationally-experienced Belgian curator, is well-known for a number of roles including Artistic Director at the 1992 Dokumenta IX exhibition in Kassel in Germany. Since 2001, he has been Artistic Director at the Marta Museum in Herford, and recently, he was one of the judges for the 2006 Berlin Architecture Award.
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Nils Holger Moormann has been producing and selling furniture designs by mostly young, unknown designers since the early 1980s. Since 1992, he has led Moormann MĆ¶bel GmbH based in Aschau in Upper Bavaria.Ā Ā Ā Ā

In 2000, graduate engineer Achim Nagel launched the "Two Product Development and Integrated Design" agency in Cologne with Claudia de Bruyn. As share-holder and director of Primus Development AG in Cologne, he's currently working on the development of 'universal design' projects.

Economist Henning Peitsmeier is from BĆ¼nde in the furniture production heartland of East Westphalia and has been editor for economic affairs at the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung national broadsheet since 1999.

Graduate designer Rolf Warda founded the Warda Design Agency in Cologne in 2000. His expertise is in trend research, design management, product development and property design. Since 2002, he has collaborated with Klaaysen Design BV in the Netherlands and the Austrian architecture and design psychologist, Dr. Leonhard Oberascher, through the "Grappa Design Approach BV" agency.

Winning Entries to tour the World in 2007

Survey CEO, Peter H. Meyer, emphasizes the clear added value that the "M Technology Award" offers to ZOW exhibitors: "We're delighted that with the 'M Technology Award' we can offer all our exhibitors a greater international platform for their ideas for the future. All winners will be honored equally, as all the prize-winning solutions will form an exclusive exhibition which will be on show at each and every ZOW event in 2007. We're doing everything we can to achieve a wide audience in the individual target markets, and in addition, all the winners will be publicized with their entries exclusively in the second edition of 2007 of the magazine, 'M Magazine for Modern Markets'. We'd like to encourage all exhibitors to take part and are hoping of course for a tremendous response!" All the prize-winners will feature permanently on the www.zow.de, www.m-in-black.com and www.ifdesign.de websites.

First presentation in Germany - February 26th, 2007

The international panel of judges will make their choice in Hanover in mid-February 2007. The prize-winners will be introduced at a reception for the trade and mainstream press on the evening of the first ZOW show day on February 26, 2007, at Bad Salzuflen. Applicants can register with iF in Hanover directly online at www.ifdesign.de by clicking on "M Technology Award".

ZOW 2007 takes place from February 26 through March 1, 2007 at the Bad Salzuflen Exhibition Center. For general information about the show - and shortly also about the "M Technology Award" - please go to www.zow.de