No. 11 / Cologne, 20th May 2008
Preliminary Report Orgatec – Oct. 21-25, 2008 in Cologne, Germany
ORGATEC WITH NEW ORIENTATION “Better Office – Greater Success”
Cologne/Chicago May 20, 2008
From October 21-15, 2008, Cologne will once again become the international meeting place for the Office & Object theme. The organizer expects 700 suppliers from 40 countries including all major industry players. Major areas will be Furnishings, Lighting, Flooring, Acoustics and AV technology.
Orgatec 2008 will be held under the “Better Office – Greater Success” heading. Future trends will be covered by “Ultima Office” – one highlight of the conference program. Says Oliver P. Kuhrt, Executive Vice-President Koelnmesse: “Orgatec has grown into an event for office solutions. Our new halls will enable us to better segment our event. By offering a “Forum” for future-orientated topics and solutions, we hope to create new impulses for the entire industry. The fact that renowned companies from all over the world participate in Orgatec 2008 confirms that we are on the right track.”
60 % of exhibitors will come from abroad occupying an hall space the size of 5 football fields. Strongest exhibitor contingents behind Germany will come from Italy, Spain, Great Britain, Poland, Turkey and Switzerland. Group Pavilions will be offered from Italy, Spain and Croatia. For the first time the exhibition space at Orgatec extends across all the new Northern Halls 6, 7, 8 and 9 – as well as Halls 10.1, 10.2 and 11.2 of the Southern Halls. All halls can be accessed via the Trade Fair Boulevard (“Messeboulevard”) a central connection between the halls and entrances, linking the halls just like a shopping mall.
High internationality on the visitors’ side
Orgatec will present the entire value-added chain of the office and business world – from space planning to furnishings selection and approval by management. Attendees will be architects, interior architects/designers, the office specialist trade, facility managers and industry. The last event in 2006 attracted 57,000 attendees from 122 countries over 50% came from abroad. Among the non –German attendees, 60% came from the EU countries, 12% from the rest of Europe, 11% from Asia and 8% from North Africa.
“Better Office – Greater Success” the focal point
Better Office – Greater Success” identifies the economic impact of a “perfect working environment” lifting moral, improved communication and higher productivity. Aspects of optimal room and office space design will be covered here. Upon entering the halls attendees will be directed to “Hot Spots” showcasing various product sectors in the halls.
Communication program covering all sector themes
Based on the main theme “Office – Greater Success” the Orgatec organizer is mindful of the correlation between office design and its impact on people’s performance. Orgatec will therefore offer an interactive communication platform focusing on all aspects related to the Office & Object segment such as Special Lighting, Flooring, Sound and AV Technology. Each Hall will showcase displays suited to demonstrate best practice solutions in respective technology.
Ultima Office: “Think Tank” about the future of the office
Prior to Orgatec 2008, a “Think Tank” pondering about the design of future offices has been established on the Internet. The goal is to involve professional users, specialist trade, architects, interior architects, facility managers and industry buyers to share their visions of tomorrow’s office. During Orgatec the “Think Tank” will be staged in Hall 7 and show interviews and videos as well results of on site surveys carried out by mobile camera teams. Highlights will include a presentation of the new Microsoft Office in Cologne as well as the Lufthansa Aviation Center. An inspirational highlight will be the delivery of the former German World Champion Gymnast, Eberhard Gienger about achieving top performances during this career as a gymnast and business man.
Evening opening with “Best Office Award” prize presentation
For the 3rd time Orgatec will stage the “Best Office Award” competition. Awards will be presented to the best domestic and best international office concept. The awards will be presented on October, 21 as part of the Orgatec opening dinner. Key note speaker will be the internationally renowned professor of architecture, Albert Speer.
Positive industry trends
For 2007 the German Association of Office, Seating and Object Furniture (BSO) reported annual growth of 15%. This clear upward trend is due to both increased investment activities at home and stronger international demand for German products. For 2008 the association expects more moderate growth within Germany of 4-6%.
For information about exhibiting, registration or travel to Orgatec, please contact Veronica Woods, North American Project Manager at 773-326-9922 or v.woodskoelnmesse.us
Note for editorial offices:
Picture materials about the past event can be found in our image database on the Internet (http://www.orgatec.com) in the press section under press releases.
This press information is ready for download as pdf file here.
