FRANKFURT, Germany — Let no crisis go to waste! After 75 years in the business, Messe Frankfurt reported a record year In 2011. The fair reported a spike of 5% more exhibitors from 2010 and 3% more trade visitors from 136 countries, up from 120 in 2010. 

“Important for us, however, is not just the growth in  participant numbers but also the increased quality of the fair, which both exhibitors and visitors rated as being very good," said Detlef Braun, member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt.

There were over 73,000 trade visitors from such sectors as: purchasing, retail trade, interior decoration, architecture, design and contract furnishing. The number of visitors from Germany remained stable at 25,200. The ten most highly represented visitor nations are Italy, Turkey, Great Britain, China, Spain, the USA, France, The Netherlands, Poland and the Russian Federation. In total, visitors who came from outside Germany accounted for two thirds of the visitors this year.

“The signs from Frankfurt are unequivocal – in the wake of the economic crisis, leading trade fairs are more important than ever” said Braun.

A poll conducted by the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry fairs and exhibitions account for 43 percent of the marketing budget and are, therefore, the most important tool in the business to business sector. 90% of the German visitors rated the current economic situation globally as "satisfactory to good," whereas last year only 78% of German visitors shared this sentiment. As a whole, 75% of visitors from outside Germany view the current economic situation as "satisfactory to good," which is still an increase from only 66% of visitors from abroad who felt this way last year.

The next Heimtextil International Trade Fair for Home and Contract Textiles will be held in Frankfurt from January 11 - 14, 2012.