Booked out! Some exhibitors have had to be moved to Hall 5.1
“9 turns 9”: at imm cologne 2015, Hall 9 celebrates the 9th anniversary of the Sleep segment, while the Matratzen-Industrie e.V. trade association, partner of Koelnmesse in the Sleep sector, celebrates its 10th anniversary. And that’s reason enough to turn the association’s exhibition area – the Sleep Lounge – into a cinema this year: adorned with motifs from the still relatively short history of the association, its areas of expertise as well as highlights from the classic cinema of the 50’s and 60’s. Once again in 2015, Hall 9 is completely booked out! Some exhibitors have already had to be moved to Hall 5.1. imm cologne co-operates with a range of different trade associations in order to specifically cater to the different needs of the industry. In the Sleep segment, the fair works with the Matratzen-Industrie e.V. trade association based in Essen. The history of the association is closely connected to that of the international furnishing trade fair: in the coming year, the interest group will celebrate its 10th anniversary and its 9th time participating in imm cologne in Hall 9. “We believe that that’s worthy of a film! And we will welcome our guests with the best scenes of the past years in the Lounge cinema of Sleep 2015,” says the Association’s Managing Director, Dr. Ulrich Leifeld. The Lounge will be decorated with motifs from the anniversary film itself and from the classic cinema of the 50’s and 60’s. Some of the film clips specifically reflect the association’s different fields of competence. The traditional “meetsleep” party takes places once again on the Tuesday of the fair, this year as an anniversary party. Family-run business Rummel-Matratzen has been a member of the association right from the start and also celebrates its 9th year in Hall 9 in 2015. The reasons for exhibiting at the fair remain unaltered to this day. “Many manufacturers of bedroom furniture had come to the furniture fair in Cologne for some time, that’s why the offer nine years ago to exhibit together in one joint hall appealed to us very much. At the time, the decision was made easier by the prospects of the association’s exhibition area being the setting and a neutral communication platform as well as the organization of an individual industry party on the Tuesday of the fair”, says Klaus Neudecker, Managing Director of Rummel-Matratzen in Neustadt/ Aisch. “From our perspective, the concept has already proved to be a success. imm cologne is recognized as the most important furniture fair in Europe and the products’ life cycles have been adapted in line with the fair.” Hall 9 is already completely booked out for the upcoming imm cologne in January 2015. Taking into account the current, rather difficult economic climate of the industry, this is certainly a good sign and a strong vote of confidence in the importance of the fair. Some exhibitors from the Sleep sector, like association member Tempur, for example, will have to be moved to Hall 5.1, diagonally opposite Hall 9. Currently, 96 exhibitors have registered for the Sleep segment, 56 of them manufacturers from abroad. Among the first-time exhibitors are Schlossatelier from Switzerland, luxury bed manufacturer Kluft from the USA, mattress manufacturer Permaflex from Italy, suppliers of the Dorsoo sleep system from the Netherlands and Schlafraum Manufaktur from Münster, Germany. For those wondering where to find association members Schlaraffia and Fey, we recommend checking the Sleep segment of the 2016 edition of imm cologne: both companies will be back on board, having decided to participate in the fair every two years.
