Orgatec – Strong Interest In The North American Pavilion At Orgatec 2004

Furniture World Magazine

Koelnmesse, Inc., the Chicago based subsidiary of the show organizer, announced to organize a North American Pavilion for interested manufacturers from the U.S. and Canada. The Pavilion at Orgatec, the International Trade Fair for Planning, Furnishing and Management of Business Environments, was offered as a result of strong interest among North American companies in increasing their export business. Mette Petersen, President of Koelnmesse Inc.: “Orgatec 2004 will provide a much broader platform to the trade. The Show has grown from a mere product show to an “issue based” event providing the trade, architects, designers and facility managers with ideas of how office space and office products can be used in the future. Orgatec is now the leading event in this industry and the bi-annual cycle provides sufficient planning time for new product releases. North American Exhibitors at Orgatec will benefit from the current low dollar level as it will make North American products very competitive. “ BIFMA, the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association, is cooperating with Koelnmesse Inc. in marketing the North American Pavilion to interested members. Says Tom Reardon, Executive Director of BIFMA: “We certainly support Koelnmesse Inc. with this Pavilion effort as it offers a great vehicle to expose our members to the European market. We view Orgatec 2004 as an excellent platform to generate export revenues.” Six months before the start of Orgatec close to 850 international exhibitors have registered to take part in the event. All major players have confirmed their participation at Orgatec 2004 such as Steelcase, Wilkhahn and Samas–Groep. The show will be held at the fairgrounds in Cologne, Germany, from October 19-23, 2004. 60,000 trade professionals representing the world’s trade of office furniture, design and office equipment are expected at this exciting event. For the first time office equipment manufacturers will showcase their products. Orgatec’s main product areas will be Furnishings for Offices & Facilities, Office Organization, Software & Services and Office Planning & Construction Solutions. The North American Pavilion space at Orgatec will provide space for 10-15 manufacturers. The Pavilion space is fully furnished and will provide extra amenities. Koelnmesse Inc. also helps participants in making all overseas arrangements, from customs clearance and freight forwarding to travel arrangements, pre-registration and hotel accommodations in Cologne. For further information on visiting or exhibiting at ORGATEC 2004, contact: Heike Schlimbach, Orgatec U.S. Project Manager. Phone: (773) 326-9922; Fax: (773) 714-0063; h.schlimbach@koelnmessenafta.com / http://www.orgatec-cologne.de