Cologne, October 22-26, 2002 ORGATEC is Ready for Kick-Off

Furniture World Magazine

"We believe ORGATEC's appeal knows no boundaries" International platform for information and business . ORGATEC, the global event for the office and office facilities will open its doors in October. According to Show Management around 1,000 suppliers from 40 countries will be exhibiting at ORGATEC. Attendees will gain a comprehensive overview of the products ranges on the world market, as virtually all the domestic and foreign market leaders in the sector will be present in Cologne. International participation at this event will exceed 60 percent, far higher than at any other comparable event. This indicates that in spite of the economic slowdown in the office furniture sector during the recent months, the office furnishing industry is committed to their leading trade fair. It will once again provide new impulses for this industry which is urgently needed to regain momentum for growth in 2002. "We believe ORGATEC's appeal knows no boundaries. I'm not just talking about Western and Eastern Europe, but also the countries of the Middle and the Far East,"said Uli Gewinner, spokesman of the Board of Directors at Steelcase Werndl AG in Rosenheim, Germany emphasizing ORGATEC's international prestige. This sentiment is shared by Werner Schmeer, Managing Director of Viasit who looks at Orgatec at the trade show for opportunities to gain access to new markets. Viasit is participating in ORGATEC in spite of the Samas Group's decision not to exhibit this year. Orgatec traditionally attracts a very high degree of foreign participation which makes this event a global meeting place for the office and office facilities sector. Among the exhibitors there will be various country pavilions: Italy alone will be represented by 147 exhibiting countries, some of which will be participating as a group. Other group participations will be coming from Denmark, Finland, Norway, Spain, the UK and Taiwan. In Cologne, supply meets demand in the form of buyers from over 100 countries. "ORGATEC is a very important trade fair for us, not only for our domestic business but also as an opportunity to maintain our international business relationships. For a company with an export share of over 50 percent, that's a very significant advantage," said Manfred Meier, who is in charge of production and logistics at the Vitra Group. More than 75,000 visitors came to ORGATEC 2000, including around 1,000 from the USA and Canada. So far, eight U.S. companies have registered for the forthcoming ORGATEC, among them Steelcase, Haworth and Herman Miller Ltd. Says Otmar Stein, Board member responsible for Marketing and Sales at the Germany based GKÖNIG + NEURATH: "It would be hard to equal trade fair that can attract such large numbers of exhibitors and trade visitors. ORGATEC offers a unique marketing platform for the presentation of the individual office furniture producers' creativity and their capacity for innovation." ORGATEC will take place from October 22 to 26, 2002 - now from Tuesday to Saturday, unlike previous years. The latest information on all aspects of the event is available on the Internet at www.orgatec.de. which contains information in German as well as English. Refer to that website for the current list of exhibitors in the "Planning your visit" section. For more information please contact: Orgatec 2002 - US Marketing Office C/o Cologne Int'l Trade Fairs 40 West 57th Street, 31st Floor New York, NY 10019 Phone: 212-974-8836 Fax: 212-974-8838 Info@citf.com www.orgatec.de