EISENWARENMESSE – INTERNATIONAL HARDWARE FAIR 2022: multifaceted, up close and personal, hybrid

After two years of pandemic-related cancellations and postponements, the EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair is on track for a successful event in September 2022. German and European suppliers are strongly represented and there are also a fair number of exhibitors from outside Europe. At a time when supply chains are rebuilding themselves, the EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair is the perfect place to find new partners. EISENWARENMESSE @home offers networking opportunities beyond the physical event in Cologne – even with suppliers that cannot exhibit in person but will participate digitallyon the @home platform.

“We are very pleased with how the event is coming along so far. There have been some cancellations, but we are also seeing amazing developments in the European market such as the enormous increase in exhibition space for Turkey. Germany, Southern and Eastern Europe, and the Netherlands will have a strong presence as usual. And for India, booking levels are also stable. All segments will be represented at the trade fair in the expected quality,” says Director of EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair Matthias Becker excitedly.

EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair 2022 is the first opportunity for the industry to get a complete overview and finally meet a variety of business partners in person again. Buyers and commercial representatives are already looking forward to the event – with strong support for the trade fair from major associations like EDRA/GHIN, BHB, BME and ZHH. The increased quality of trade fair visitors has also been evident at other events since the restart: “Across all sectors, we are seeing that those who come to our trade fairs have very clear goals and strong decision-making power,” says Matthias Becker.

Digitalisation brings new possibilities
Due to ongoing travel restrictions, many companies from Asian countries will have to cancel one more time in 2022. If possible, however, they will send their products and rely on their representatives from other continents to present them. Or they will take a completely different approach: For the first time, the personnel for the stands will be remote – the products are on-site in Cologne while the contact persons are digitally present.

Koelnmesse has also found a new solution for visitors who are unable to attend – they can book “Fair Scouts” who are industry experts. The scout either takes the visitor on a virtual tour of the fair grounds with the relevant technical equipment or looks at products based on a pre-briefing and holds initial conversations as directed. The EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair is becoming a truly hybrid event – and not just because of the new EISENWARENMESSE @home platform. While it includes the option to watch missed events on demand, the real heart of the platform is networking – particularly the Discovery Graph, which suggests contacts based on the individual profiles. As of 1 August, exhibitors will be able to manage their profiles on EISENWARENMESSE @home and from 12 September visitors will also have access to the platform after purchasing tickets.

eCommerce area completely booked
The event highlight in 2022 is the long-planned and now realised eCommerce area curated by digital rock star Michael Atug. The expo for everything related to store systems, ERP, electronic payment, hosting and search engine optimisation will take place on 27 and 28 September 2022 during EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair Cologne and is completely booked out with more than 30 suppliers. eBay, Facebook, DHL, Shopware and others will be there – a must for anyone interested in the digitalisation of the industry.

More information: https://www.eisenwarenmesse.com/events/ecommerce-area/

The EISEN Award powered by ZHH will also be presented live again in 2022: The EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair and Zentralverband Hartwarenhandel e.V. (ZHH/Central Association of the Hardware Trade) have once again set out to find outstanding inventions in the categories of innovation, design/ergonomics and sustainability. The winners will be awarded on the first day of the EISENWARENMESSE – International Hardware Fair on 25 September 2022 at 10:00 a.m. in the EISENforum. The application deadline for exhibitors is 2 September 2022.