CENS` specialist publications act like buyer-magnets

Besides being Taiwan`s leading trade magazine publisher, China Economic News Services (CENS) has also been focusing on circulating specialist publications that aim to bring together the island`s hardware suppliers and foreign buyers at major trade fairs worldwide.





In the second half of 2006 alone, CENS and organized teams of exhibitors from Taiwan attended key hardware trade fairs such as spoga`+gafa`, China International Hardware Show, Hong Kong International Hardware & Home Improvement Fair, The Big 5 Show, and Intertool Moscow.





SPOGA`+GAFA` 2006 in Cologne

The SPOGA`+GAFA` 2006, the world`s largest trade fair for the garden and leisure accessories market, was held from Sep. 3-5 in Cologne, Germany. The fair attracted a total of 2,456 enterprises from 64 countries as well as around 50,000 buyers from 103 countries, with CENS leading nearly half of the 120 Taiwanese exhibitors who showcased a wide range of items.

The annual trade fair featured five different product groups: equestrian sports, out-door living, out-door activities, out-door technology, and in-/out-door ambiance. Exhibits included furniture, grills, camping devices, hand tools, garden tools, watering devices, outdoor lighting and so on. Besides, The New Product Showcase, a distinct venue, allowed exhibitors to spotlight innovative and newly-designed products.

At the fair, a CENS representative promoted "Taiwan Hardware Magazine" to interested buyers, impressing them with detailed information which opened doors to business opportunities for Taiwanese hardware suppliers and foreign buyers.

Having successfully drawn record numbers of registered exhibitors and visitors in 2006, the world`s top specialist trade fair will be once again held from Sep. 2-4, 2007 in Cologne, Germany, namely SPOGA 2007.





China International Hardware Show 2006

Inaugurated five years ago as a small-scale and local show, the China International Hardware Show (CIHS) flourished into one of the world`s specialized trade shows in 2006. The CIHS 2006, which ran from Sep. 27-29 in Shanghai, China, gathered 1,600 exhibitors, of which 200 were international brands and the balance were local suppliers from China. The show provided more than 2,900 booths within an exhibition space of 70,000 square meters for exhibitors to showcase their products.

In this three-day show, the exhibitors displayed security devices, locks and fittings, home improvement products, and gardening equipment and supplies to more than 45,000 visitors, of which over 5,000 were overseas professional buyers from 92 countries.

Playing the role of export promoter, CENS circulated its trade magazine to foreign buyers who were interested in Taiwan-made hardware, with such efforts bridging the gap between Taiwanese hardware suppliers and buyers. Not surprisingly, many dropped in to the CENS stand to inquire about advertising their products on CENS publications.

The scale of the CIHS 2006 was 60% larger than 2005 in terms of exhibition spaces. The show witnessed a rise of 35% in terms of the number of foreign exhibitors, which has apparently become the second-largest fair worldwide and the No.1 in Asia.





Hong Kong International Hardware & Home Improvement Fair 2006

Held from Oct. 27-30 for its 10th version, the Hong Kong International Hardware & Home Improvement Fair 2006 drew a total of 1,217 exhibitors from 27 countries to showcase their innovative products to more than 13,490 buyers, including 8,412 foreign buyers from China, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, the U.K., Canada, the Philippines, Singapore and Germany.

The fair featured thee thematic zones: Decor Zone for premium quality interior decoration products, Sanitary World for bathroom fittings and sanitary ware and Outdoor & Gardening World for gardening tools and outdoor furniture. In which, visitors could browse and procure product categories, including basins, sinks, building materials, polishing equipment, hand tools, Do-It-Yourself products and fittings, Safety equipment, and so on.

Noteworthy was that CENS`s various printed trade magazines were very popular among foreign buyers, especially those from Europe and North America. Also CENS provided CD-ROMs which make product sourcing streamlined and only as far away as one`s PC. In other words, CENS effectively narrowed the gap between buyers and suppliers with both printed and online product sourcing information.

Among the foreign buyers at the fair, 55% came from Asia, 23.4% from Europe, and 9.6% from North America, according to statistics compiled by the show organizer. The next show is scheduled from Oct. 28-31, 2007.



The Big 5 Show 2006 in Dubai

Celebrating its 27th anniversary in 2006, the Big 5 Show, the largest trade show for the construction industry in the Middle East, was held from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1 in Dubai. The show drew 2,894 enterprises from 67 countries to showcase their products to a total of 41,058 specialized buyers, many of whom were decision-makers, engineers, architects, and contractors from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar.

The show featured over 30 National Pavilions, including Canada, Italy, Germany, Australia, Spain, Britain, Portugal, Taiwan and China ones. Taiwan Pavilion housed 65 exhibitors showcasing hardware, sanitary ware, hand tools, locks, nails, DIY fittings and construction materials at large, while about one fifth out of 308 German exhibitors in its pavilion focused on brick products, 77 Australian ones on air conditioning equipment and desalination facilities, and 201 Chinese ones on bricks, lumber and hardware.

To promote Taiwanese suppliers to the world, CENS did its usual best to provide publications that were of particular interest to foreign construction hardware buyers. Noteworthy was that many buyers were specially interested in Taiwan-made machinery for producing screws.

The next Big 5 Show will be held from Nov. 25-29, 2007 for its 28th time at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre.



Intertool Moscow 2006

CENS was also present at the Intertool Moscow 2006 in Russia, held from Nov. 7-10, 2006. Despite inclement whether in Moscow, the 2006 fair, occupying a venue of 15,500 square meters, successfully attracted 533 exhibitors-registering a sharp growth from 323 in 2005. It was reported that some of the biggest names in the trade were at the show, including 3M, AEG, Robert Bosch, Dewalt, DWT, Nedo Nestle, Sparky and others.

The fair recorded a total of 15,120 visitors, of which 88.3% were registered buyers. Exhibitors at the fair displayed a wide range of hardware products, including abrasive materials, batteries, consumables for electric hand tools, OA devices, warehouse equipment, moulds, security devices, precision tools, hydraulic tools, garden tools, hand tools, woodworking tools, nails, welding tools, pneumatic hand tools, metalworking tools, auto repair and maintenance devices, machinery for hand tools production, safety devices and so on.





Again, CENS put to good use its export-promotion experience by circulating its trade magazines, of which the Russian editions were especially popular among buyers. The word was that CENS lived up to its reputation of being a seasoned export promoter-effectively presenting various Taiwanese suppliers to international buyers.

The next Intertool Moscow will be held from Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, 2007. Backed by increasing numbers of exhibitors, visitors and simmering response over the past few years, the show, the largest trade fair for the Russian market, is springing into a veritable well of trade opportunities for the hardware industry.

(by Steve Chuang)