News

ZOW 2oo5 in Bad Salzuflen gets underway with record participation
New trends and new products in every product group

The attraction of ZOW - the furniture suppliers' show - is still undiminished after 11 years. A total of 566 exhibiting companies will again endorse the effectiveness of this b2b event from 21st to 24th February at the exhibition centre in Bad Salzuflen, where a host of new products, materials and systems will form the centre point. Both exhibitors and visitors use the special communications climate of ZOW as a welcome starter to their dealings. Now that the economy is moving in the right direction again after so many difficult years, confidence is high among this year's ZOW participants.

ZOW, with its policy of transparency and simplicity, is ideal for the furniture supplies industry secure and promote its competitiveness and the most effective medium for ensuring that new ideas reach the market. The best of these new ideas can be seen from the results of the "Innovations Scouts" scheme, where a respected jury of experts from in and around the furniture industry have assessed and evaluated the levels of innovation to be seen in the various products at this year's show. The top ten selected pieces form the starting point of the trade press tour on the second day of the exhibition and will be pointed out to every visitor to ZOW.

New strength of expression in surfaces.

Suppliers of fronts and surfaces have excelled themselves this year in their creativity. "Retro" is still a strong influence, but this year there are also other influences. Expressive charm is to the fore. Mediterranean structures and colours are seen as fantasy surfaces looking as though they are created with a spatula, and synchronised grain structure in timber effect laminates are totally realistic. All this not only looks good and new, but invites touching and feeling for better appreciation. A further trend is the wider use of natural veneer sealed within a melamine coating and applied to either MDF or chipboard as an easily usable and attractive "raw material" for smaller companies to use.

Strong single colours continue to be a major influence, with darker tones (e.g. chocolate brown) being used increasingly for accent. Contrasts within the furniture construction are being achieved through the application of stainless steel and aluminium, and represent the new mix in materials usage. Simultaneously, exotic timbers like eucalyptus, zebrano and macassar are having a renaissance. The trend towards a greater degree of expression can also be seen in these areas, in the wider variety of core materials being used.

The symbiosis of technology and design.

The overall look, in terms of the aesthetic design, is becoming significantly more important for the fittings manufacturers. The individual parts are no longer being hidden away, and proudly shown as a part of the identity of the furniture offered to the consumer. In addition, the fittings manufacturers are cleverly using multifunctional items, making it possible for different uses by different users in different sectors. New generations of fixing components and systems are appearing, using new materials and superbly refined.

The correct and effective use of light in furniture is another major theme at this year's ZOW. Many producers are looking to the relatively new LED technology to offer various opportunities for development, while new ideas are also apparent in the lighting control, which can achieve subtle psychological effects. The application of lighting within the furniture can even determine the character of the furniture itself - a feature copied from the archirectural world.

A concentration on the essentials is the message that SURVEY Marketing + Consulting GmbH & Co. KG, as organisers of ZOW shout loud and clear. Exhibitors need to concentrate on their own products, while the organisers will do everything else.

The 28.000 m² floor area of ZOW is covered in light grey carpet and by a suspended ceiling with a total of 18,000 halogen spotlights, to give the correct lighting to exhibitors. A further improvement to the catering, which has been an important part of the total service package sine the first ZOW in 1995, will ensure shorter waiting times.

External services improved.

Car parking at this tear's event should be far more relaxed, due to additional facilities. Over 3000 spaces are available (20% more than in 2004). Ease of access is also improved by the availability of the 942 bus service, free of charge to anyone with a ZOW visitor pass, between Bad Salzuflen town centre and the show ground. Rail and air travellers can use the ZOW-Shuttle-Service from Bielefeld Hauptbahnhof and Paderborn-Lippstadt airport. In these features, SURVEY is striving to make it easier for all exhibitors and visitors to ZOW to have a pleasant and successful exhibition.

SURVEY Marketing + Consulting GmbH & Co. KG (Germany) is a marketing and consultancy company specialising in the b2b sector. Its main activities lie in the international furniture and supplies fields. Furthermore, the company has over ten years' successful international experience as the organiser of sector exhibitions and business events.