Final Report

ISH The World’s Leading Trade Fair for the Bathroom, Building Services, Energy, Air Conditioning Technology and Renewable Energies Frankfurt am Main, 6 to 10 March 2007 Sensational record: 215,000 visitors to the ISH Bathroom Experience sets new international standards in terms of design and luxury Renewable energies: a magnet for trade and private visitors

ISH 2007, The World’s Leading Trade Fair for the Bathroom, Building Services, Energy, Air Conditioning Technology and Renewable Energies, set a sensational visitor record with 215,378 people having made their way to Frankfurt Fair and Exhibition Centre from 6 to 10 March (2005: 192,187). This is an increase of twelve percent over the previous event two years ago. More visitors came from both inside and outside Germany. One in four visitors came from abroad (53,844). Altogether, 2,392 exhibitors (2005: 2,345) from 58 countries presented their innovations on 254,000 square metres of exhibition space (gross), thus occupying almost the entire Exhibition Centre.
Dr. Michael Peters, Member of the Board of Management of Messe Frankfurt: "ISH 2007 was not only the biggest ISH ever but also a fair of superlatives in many respects. Continuity, the concept of the event as an association of events and the venue itself are the factors determining the success of the world's leading fair for the sector. Only here in Frankfurt can one obtain such a comprehensive overview of the energy, building-services and air-conditioning technology sectors, as well as the Bathroom Experience; something that is greatly appreciated by both domestic and foreign visitors."
The mood in the sector is excellent. This year, 97 percent of German exhibitors rated the economic perspectives as being satisfactory to good (2005: 72 percent). The opinion of foreign exhibitors was similar with 92 percent taking an optimistic view of the situation (2005: 77 percent).
93 percent of German visitors consider that the economic outlook is satisfactory to good (2005: 71 percent). 94 percent of foreign ISH visitors share this opinion (2005: 89 percent).
The representatives of the sponsoring associations of the ISH also took an extremely positive view.
Michael von Bock und Polach, General Manager of the German Sanitation, Heating and Air Conditioning Federation (Zentralverband Sanitär, Heizung, Klima - ZVSHK): "The fair exceeded all our expectations. For the sanitation, heating and air-conditioning sector, the ISH was the show for energy and design. The fair highlighted the high degree of future orientation to be found in our sector. The significant increase in the number of international trade visitors – without any corresponding decrease in the number of German visitors – emphasises the leading position held by German sanitation, heating and air-conditioning technology. This year's ISH will have generated powerful impulses, the effect of which will be felt well into next year."
Fritz-Wilhelm Pahl, President of the Association of the German Sanitation Industry (Vereinigung der Deutschen Sanitärwirtschaft e.V. – VDS): "The upwards trend in the sanitation sector, which began last year, continued at the ISH with more exhibitors, more visitors and more internationality. The trend towards bathrooms of high quality in terms of both design and equipment is spreading more and more from Europe. In particular, the booming Asian nations are demanding more top technology and top design."
Klaus Jesse, Member of the Board of Directors of the Association of the German Central Heating Industry (Vereinigung der deutschen Zentralheizungs-Wirtschaft e.V. - VdZ) and President of the Association of the German House, Energy and Environmental Technology Industry (Bundesindustrieverband Deutschland Haus-, Energie- und Umwelttechnik e.V. – BDH): "ISH 2007 produced an echo unlike any fair before – from the trade, the public and politicians. The reason for this is that the high degree of political priority enjoyed by energy and the environment are shifting the focus to our industry. This year, the ISH presented technical and commercial solutions for improving the extreme CO2 reduction and energy-saving potential of buildings. In Frankfurt, the world can discover the very latest in technology for high energy efficiency and renewable energies. The industry profits greatly from the high level of internationality at the ISH."
The top ten European visitor nations after Germany were: Italy, Great Britain, The Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain and the Czech Republic. The most overseas visitors came from Asia and North America: USA, Canada, South Korea, Japan and China.
Around two thirds of visitors are managers with a high level of decision-making authority. The installation trade made up the largest single group of visitors with around 86,000 fitters. Engineers, architects and planners also attended in significantly larger numbers than in 2005. The overall main areas of visitor interest were heating technology and Bathroom Experience (50 % each). The subject of renewable energy was of primary interest for almost 33,000 trade visitors (15 percent). One in four visitors came for air-conditioning, refrigeration and ventilation technology.
ISH 2007 was given excellent ratings by the exhibitors. 84 percent confirmed that they had achieved their goals for the fair (2005: 83 percent). Particularly positive and ten percent higher than at the last ISH was the exhibitor opinion of visitor quality, the number of new contacts made and orders placed during the fair.
Considerable interest was shown in the complementary programme with special shows, lectures and symposiums. The focal-point subject of 'Renewable Energies' was taken up by, inter alia, the ISH Technology and Energy Forum, the Tiled Stove Forum, the 'Energy & Architecture' special show for the installation trade and the special event for architects and planners, Outlook – Integrating Energy. The Air Conditioning Forum spotlighted energy efficiency and hygiene while the spectrum covered by the field of building-relevant refrigeration technology was boosted by the première of the IKK Building Forum. Another first at this year's ISH was the inclusion of the subject of preventive fire protection with the 11th Building Law & Fire Protection Symposium and the 1st International Building Law & Fire Protection Symposium.

The next ISH will be held in Frankfurt am Main from 10 to 14 March 2009.