Strongest DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR ever attracted 46,115 visitors, that is high level of international participation from Asia.
DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR has put in a strong performance, consolidating its position as the Asia-Pacific region’s biggest trade fair for carpets and floor coverings. This year’s show was staged from 24 to 26 March at the Shanghai New International Exhibition Center (SNIEC) in China, one of the world’s most dynamic markets for floor coverings. It attracted a record 46,115 visitors (2014: 42,386), featured 1,275 exhibitors from 38 nations, and occupied 140,000 square meters (over 1,506,900 sq. ft.) of gross display space spread across 12 exhibition halls. It was the strongest DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR ever. The international importance of the show was evident from that fact 289 of the 1,275 exhibitors came from outside China. Among their number were companies like Balta, Oriental Weavers, Alsorayi, Armstrong, Gerflor, Krono Flooring, Kronotex, Beaulieu, Egger, Berry Alloc and Witex. There were also national pavilions from Afghanistan, Belgium, Germany, India, Iran, the Netherlands, Nepal, Pakistan and the USA. About a quarter (11,374) of the visitors came from places other than China – principally from other countries in Asia. Impressively, over 60 percent of the exhibition space was rebooked on the spot for next year – a sure sign of exhibitor satisfaction with the fair and the business opportunities it opened up.
Focus On Innovation
This year, the InnovAction Flooring platform once again enabled exhibitors to profile their product innovations online to pre-registered visitors ahead of the show. 18,706 visitors used the platform’s online feedback system to vote for their 10 favorite products in each of three categories: parquet and laminate flooring, carpets, and resilient floor coverings.This year’s winning companies in the parquet and laminate flooring category were: Star-living, Dasso, Nature, Shenzhen Kingforest, Jinqiao Flooring, Zhejiang Shiyou, Zhejiang Yuhua, Ciambella Legnami, Beamy International and Zhejiang Yongyu. The top 10 in the carpets category were: Weihai Shanhua, Weihai Haima, Suzhou Duolaiyun, Wuxi Fuxing, Zhejiang Xingyue, Beijing Yingtaihongye, Nantong Homedec Weiya, Low&Bonar, Smart and Newspec. And the winners in the resilient floor covering category were: Gerflor, Novalis, Armstrong, Tarkett, New Tech, Changzhou Liberty, Flooring Industries, National Flagship, Zhejiang Sunflower and Guangzhou Tongxin. An expert jury assessed the products profiled by these companies and selected the seven best for inclusion in the InnovAction Flooring Center – a dedicated on-site display area at DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR. The seven winning products this year were “Back to Nature with Bamboo” by Dasso Industrial Group, “Source-Nature” by Weihai Shanhua Carpet Group, “Aurora” by Newspec, “Carol Land” by Suzhou Duolaiyun Houseware, “BIO +STYListic” by Gerflor, “Symphony in Colors” by Novalis Innovative Flooring, and “Infinity” by Star-living.
Sustainability is in
DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR 2015 hosted the second GreenStep Asia Awards. The Awards, a joint initiative between the show’s organizers and the US trade journal Floor Covering Weekly, honor manufacturers who have undertaken initiatives that demonstrate exemplary commitment to sustainability and environmental protection. The winners are selected by an expert jury made up of representatives of some of the most influential associations and media organizations in the flooring industry. This year, Shan Dong Li Fang Jie won the Green Product Category with an “Environment-friendly Floor Cleaning Membrane”, Weihai Shanhua and Zhejiang Sunflower jointly won the Green Process Category, and Novalis Innovative Flooring took top honors in both the Green Promotion and Green Pinnacle categories. Honorable Mentions went to Wuxi Huacan and Dalian Huade in the Green Product Category, Beaulieu Asia in the Green Process category, and Polyflor (represented by Shanghai Linkstrong) in the Green Pinnacle category. Another major highlight of the various on-site forums and special events held in conjunction with this year’s DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR was the 2015 China International WPC Development Forum. WPC stands for wood-plastic composites – a class of new materials that now rank among the most sought-after products in the global flooring industry. The forum attracted around 200 attendees (buyers and manufacturers) from over ten countries. Highlights included presentations on the latest developments in WPC by Bryan Fairbanks, Executive Director of Trex, and Takeyasu Kikuchi, CEO of WPC Corporation. Other special events included the Wooden Integrated Products Area – a new showcase on wooden products for interior home furnishing that made its debut this year; the Floor Heating Installation Show; the Handmade Carpet Salon; and the Sports Experience Arena.
