Orgatec came to a close on Saturday, 30th October 2010 with an extremely upbeat mood and very good results after five days in Cologne. The international pilot fair for office & facility was attended by around 61,000 visitors from 110 countries, who came to obtain a comprehensive overview of the trends and innovations in the global furnishing sector for offices and office facilities. A total of 608 companies from 41 countries presented their solutions in the Cologne trade fair halls. Sixty-one per cent of the suppliers and about 50 per cent of the visitors came to Cologne from outside Germany.
Nearly all the market leaders were represented in Cologne. They demonstrated their innovative strength with numerous pioneering solutions and concepts for office and office facility design, which met with a great response from visitors. Exhibitors from all sectors were upbeat as a result of the high visitor turnout and the excellent attendance at the stands. The exhibitors also expressed great satisfaction with the large number of visitors from outside Germany. Higher numbers of visitors were recorded, especially from Scandinavia, France, Italy, Spain and South America. The exhibitors particularly praised the visitors’ very high level of decision-making authority.
It wasn’t just the exhibitors who said they were extremely satisfied with the event. The visitor survey revealed that 78 per cent of visitors were very satisfied or satisfied with Orgatec and 81 per cent were very satisfied or satisfied with the degree to which they met their trade fair objectives. What’s more, the fair’s comprehensive spectrum of products ensured that 80 per cent of visitors rated the product range as either good or very good. The trade fair’s thematic and presentation programme included competence centres for lighting, acoustics and media technology.
The exhibitor’s attractively designed stands presented innovative solutions for boosting work efficiency. Many solutions featured impressive open-plan offices that not only created an intelligent interplay between communication and concentrated work, but also generated a feel-good atmosphere in attractive surroundings. In general, the trend is toward multifunctional areas that can be adapted to a wide variety of needs as required. Taking their inspiration from public parks and urban squares, various suppliers therefore presented complete furniture systems that can be used for concentrated individual work, as well as for teamwork, meetings, waiting areas, or relaxation. The exhibitors displayed modular and adjustable furniture that can be easily moved or supplemented as needed.
Room acoustics in open-plan offices present major challenges for many companies. The exhibitors therefore presented a large number of sophisticated acoustic solutions, including furniture with sound-absorbing surfaces, room-in-room systems and room dividers or acoustic absorbers disguised as projection walls or pictures. Carpeting specifically designed for open-plan and team offices which are especially effective at absorbing sound in the frequency range of the human voice were also presented. But it’s not just a question of counteracting noise, but also of doing something to combat the lack of physical movement in the office. Office chairs and tables therefore adapt to their users, and are also intended to promote movement. That’s why the new swivel chairs are ergonomically perfect for the sitters and, thanks to their ability to move in three-dimensions, offer great scope for movements and rotations. This is because backrests are no longer restricted to back-and-forth movement, but can also move sideways..
Advanced conference and media technology is also intended to provide increased flexibility and efficiency. On show in this area were, among others, conference tables with integrated touch panels or 360 degree cameras for videoconferencing, large-format monitor walls for high-technology presentations and the electronic receptionist, an information and service terminal that becomes active as soon as anyone approaches.
The next Orgatec – the leading international trade fair for offices and facilities – will take place from 23rd to 27th October 2012.
