HANNOVER, GERMANY—Recognizing that “any crisis also creates a wealth of new opportunities,” attendees and exhibitors at Domotex Hannover 2009, maintained at overall upbeat attitude but realistic expectations on the work that lies ahead.

“Domotex 2009 has emitted positive signals in tough times and given the industry valuable guidance for the road ahead,” noted Stephan Kühne, member of the Deutsche Messe managing board in charge of Domotex.

Attendance was slightly down from its record-breaking years, which was to be expected, he said, but 38,000 people from around the world still came to see what the record number of exhibitors—1,394—were showcasing. One of the positives taken away from the visitor count by exhibitors was 64% of them were foreign— 5% more than last year, meaning they made the trip to do more than just look around. And, by the general sound of things, few were disappointed, as there were numerous reports of brisk business activity.

Hans Joachim Schilgen, president of the German Home Textile Industry Association, noted his members came away with an “ultimately positive verdict based on the many promising talks held and deals signed. New developments got a lot of attention, and interest in sustainability was on the rise.”

His assessment on the growth of eco-friendly interest at the show was echoed by Mohawk’s Richard Burkemper, senior vice president of the company’s international business. He said Domotex allowed the company to not only show its “commitment to ecologically responsible, environmentally compatible production,” but to “highlight our image and present our full product range.”

Geert Vanden Bossche, marketing director of the Balta Group, added bringing innovative products to the market is one of the keys during these tough times. The company used Domtoex as a launching pad to showcase the fact it has not slowed down in the area of research and development. “The key to growing your business is product development, so over 60% of the products displayed at our stand involved innovations.”

Laminate point-of-view

The themes of sustainability and innovation were seen not just in the soft surface part of the show. With sales declining around the world, the European Producers of Laminate Flooring (EPLF) member companies, many of which either export product to the U.S. or have setup separate business units this side of the Atlantic, are making “major investments in design and development.” Karin Dullweber, a spokeswoman for the association, said “new laminate floors…feature some uniquely creative graphics. They reflect consumers’ growing interest in design-inspired environments and the desire to put an individual signature on a room.”

At the same time, the laminate category was touting how its products meet the end user’s demands for environmentally friendly flooring. “Consumers not only have higher expectations in terms of design quality and aesthetics,” she explained, “but in terms of eco-friendliness and sustainability.”

To provide end users with “transparent information” about the sustainability of laminate flooring, EPLF launched at Domotex a new Web site, mylaminate.eu. Broken into five sections, the site is set up to answer questions consumers have about laminate’s sustainability.

While there was enough product offerings from manufacturers to keep visitors busy the entire show, Domotex Hannover once again functioned as a major hub for installers and others interested in the dynamics of properly laying a floor.

Special educational events and presentations, including a two-day event on “The World of Acoustic,” and the European Team Floorlaying Competition highlighted the happenings.

Kühne said this year’s presentations and special events were specially targeted at parquet and general flooring professionals as well as interior decorators and painters. For example, The Skilled Trades Forum featured presentations by leading specialists on current practical issues, including state-of-the-art processes and techniques, while the Initiative for Safer Working Practices focused on health and safety and issues for installation professionals.

Another focal point of this year’s show was “contractworld,” a trendsetting event considered to be Europe’s leading architecture forum. The four-day congress was attended by 2,500 architects and interior architects.

For the first time, presentations by star architects such as David Chipperfield, Matteo Thun and Mario Botta were accompanied by presentations involving other disciplines.

The next Domotex Hannover will take place at the Hannover Exhibition Center next Jan. 16 to 19. The show will feature an all-new, parallel trade fair exclusively for tile titled “fliesen/tiles 2010.”

For more on Domotex Hannover, visit domotex.de.