ORSIAD: Last year you have organized Domotex in Gaziantep for the first time. Could you achieved all your goals?
Alexander Kühnel: As the team of Hannover Fairs Turkey, we are happy to move the DOMOTEX brand to the center of carpet industry this year. We are always trying to identify the needs and expectations of exhibitors and visitors and we make market research with our partners. According to the results of this research, we decided to take this year’s machine made carpet industry to Gaziantep Middle East Exhibition Center and witnessed that it was the right decision to do, which made everybody satisfied at the end.
We only had 4 months in advance once we decided to organize the fair in Gaziantep. But despite the short preparation period, we still managed to achieve most of our plans for this organization.
Using our worlwide network connections of Deutsche Messe AG, we directed the promotion of fair correctly in the target region. In addition to this, we had close collaboration with networks and other relevant channels of media, such as international, national and local TV channels, radio, newspapers, the internet, which helped us to promote the fair. With the support of Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce, Southeastern Anatolia Carpet Exporters’ Association and Gaziantep Chamber of Carpet, we can say that we have received the great feedback of our all our efforts.
In its first year, Domotex in Gaziantep was held with 159 exhibitors from Turkey, Belgium, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and visited by 7,402 professionals.
ORSIAD: What kind of differences Domotex made in Gaziantep unlike previous fairs?
Alexander Kühnel: With its industrial and commercial structure, Gaziantep has a primary importance in Turkish economy. Moreover, it is considerered to be the center for the manufacture and export of machine-made carpets both in Turkey and the world. When Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce decided to rearrange the carpet exhibition organization seven years ago, we were aware of this great potential and therefore became candidates for the organization. Many local carpet manufacturers have already been attending Domotex Germany and trusted Domotex brand. After our positive meetings and correspondences, the fair gained an international identity with Domotex. This change was quite effective in terms of both exhibitors and visitors.
ORSIAD: How are the feedbacks? Are the carpet manufacturers happy with the organization?
Alexander Kühnel: Feedbacks were quite gratifying for us. As Hannover Fairs Turkey, we have questionnaires for participants and visitors in every fair organization that we make. If I were to be expressed on the basis of this survey, 97 percent of respondents had found the fair satisfactory and 89 percent said they plan to attend again next year. 99 per cent of visitors expressed their satisfaction of their visit to the fair.
ORSIAD: What kind of new additions you are planning for upcoming and future fairs?
Alexander Kühnel: Gaziantep is Turkey’s export champion of the machine on the carpet and we believe that the city has achieved another great success by bringing the world’s most important carpet exhibition Domotex Fair to its land. The evaluation of this achievement and the potential of the fair, it has been decided that once again and this time even with wider participation and international structure, “DOMOTEX TURKEY” will be held in Gaziantep between 25 and 28 of May.
On the other hand, wherever fairs are organized, those places develop. Gaziantep is a city that is aware of this situation and invest in fairs and organizations. Therefore, they did not hesitate in organizing a fair about machine carpets to be held in their city because they are already most powerful in this area. I certainly believe they got positive results in return and they will continue to get even more. I hope that the exhibitions will play a major role in the worldwide recognition of Gaziantep province.
