Shanghai – DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR’s 20th Anniversary show concluded March 22nd, 2018, achieving new milestones in international visitor and exhibitor numbers and increased participation with VIP programs and onsite events, according to organisers. Flooring magazine was at the Show.

Despite the very cold temperatures and rain, Domotex in Shanghai this year proved to be a hit. Flooring magazine’s Sandie Velkovska and I were both in attendance and we both met-up and visited with many colleagues and local businesses from the flooring world. It was certainly a worthwhile trip!

Spanning a multitude of venues at the Shanghai New International Expo Center, we had our work cut-out for us and we spent the entire time impressed with the lay-out of the exhibitors and mingled with guests at dinners and after parties.

Billed as the largest flooring event of its kind in the region, Domotex asia/CHINAFLOOR did not fail to impress, and according to the show’s organisers, the show exceeded anticipated registration numbers, making it the largest turnout in the show’s twenty-year history.

“The greatness of this exhibition was visible this year in regards to participation”, said Susanne Klaproth, Director of DOMOTEX Worldwide. “It’s a good feeling to see our brand earning more international attention and respect. Especially in Asia, we foresee enormous potential for the platform, as construction and flooring projects will continue to increase in the region”.

Wood flooring experts from Australia, New Zealand and other international nations were welcomed to China for an official business ceremony. The goal – it was stated- was to increase business collaboration between international buyers and wood flooring suppliers from the region.

Sandie and I also had the pleasure of visiting the Luxury Brands Carpet Show. We loved the variety of rugs and carpets beautifully exhibited in their own area, and when I spoke to people in the space, we were not alone when we thought this was an absolute stand-out of this years’ show! Especially as the pavilion grew in space to feature more of the industry’s high-end luxury rug designers from around the globe. Walking around in awe, the pavilion was set-up as a gallery-style viewing area that naturally led visitors like us to each company’s carpet “art”. In China, as the taste for extravagant interior design and flooring decoration intensifies, Luxury Brands at DOMOTEX, it is believed, will continue to increase in popularity, buyer potential and excitement for the display’s hand-made rug designs.

“Luxury Brands came out with a bang for its second year in Shanghai”, exclaimed Erika Kurtz, COO of New Moon Rugs. “We had a fabulous group of the world’s premier rug brands working to increase the exposure of hand-made rugs in this up-and-coming market. This year also brought new and exciting buyers and it looks like the luxury handmade rug industry is beginning to gain momentum throughout mainland China”.
The 2018 InnovAction Flooring Campaign launched 400 products and materials from the Carpet, Resilient, and Wood sectors. Onsite, InnovAction exhibitors were found within three specialty display areas, all of which designed by globally renowned architect, Kostas Chatzigiannis.

Finally, the growing demand for stylish interiors, the Cadex interior design and architecture conferences quickly identified this market swell and rode its wave up to a 50% increase in participation from last year, according to organisers. Over 8,000 visitors attended the 4 conference sessions and 20 design salons which touched on topics such as creative workspaces.

DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR will next year run from March 26th to 28th, 2019. We hope to see you there. In the meantime, enjoy our photo snapshots from this year’s event which was literally bursting at the seams with innovation, creativity, business and spectacle!