With considerably more than 30,000 visiting industry professionals from 84 countries inhorgenta europe experienced a growth of close to 15%. Approximately one third of the visitors came from abroad, which represents an increase of about 2.5%. In addition to Germany, the countries with the largest visitor delegations were Austria, Spain, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Greece, the Netherlands, as well as Great Britain and Ireland.  
 
The atmosphere in the exposition halls was very positive, particularly due to high ordering activity thanks to considerably reduced stock levels among the jewellery and watch retailers at the end of 2009. Yet also the extensive, high quality product selection gained a lot of appreciative attention.
 
The results of the poll held by TNS Infratest at the same time as the trade fair also confirm the very positive progress at this year’s event:  42% of exhibitors polled (compared to 33% last year) rated the industry’s current economic situation excellent or good; 80% (56%) believe that this will also apply for future market development. Among the visitors, the same ratings were provided by 51% (45%)  and 74% (62%) respectively. 76% (61%) of the exhibitors polled rated the trade fair excellent to good, among the visitors 95% (91%) offered the same rating. Visitors liked the comprehensive character and wide range of the product selection best (94%), followed by the event’s atmosphere (93%), the leading trade fair character (89%), as well as the clear arrangement or breakdown into industry segments and quality of visitor information (88% each). Top issues among exhibitors included the clear arrangement or breakdown into industry segments (80%), leading trade fair character (76%), and visitor quality (75%).
 
A total of 1,143 exhibitors from 38 countries presented their products on net exhibit space of 29,700 square meters, representing a 2.5% increase in exhibit space at inhorgenta europe 2010 compared to the prior year. Overall, inhorgenta europe covered 66,000 square meters in six exposition halls at the New Munich Trade Fair.   
 
Klaus Dittrich, Chairman of the Management Messe München GmbH: "We are very pleased with the excellent run of inhorgenta europe 2010, which even exceeded our own expectations. The strong increase in visitors shows clearly how attractive this exposition is for the industry. inhorgenta europe is the fourth Munich-based event in a row experiencing a considerable increase in visitors. inhorgenta europe was able to further expand its position as an important European retail platform. Together with the industry we will continue to consistently strengthen this position in terms of strategic goals as well as content.”
 
inhorgenta europe 2011 will be held from February 25th to 28th, 2011 at the New Munich Trade Fair.

Pandora, Annette Laustrup Nielsen, Vice Managing Director:
We are highly pleased with the event and reached our sales goals for this year. One of the reasons was probably also the new design of our exhibit booth, which received very good feedback.
 
Swarovski (Germany) GmbH, Christoph Storck, Managing Director:
inhorgenta europe allows us targeted contact to jewellers. This is extremely important for us because we want to make our business partners more aware of our new brand identity. We were definitely able to do so. Our line “Out of the Blue” was a particular hit.
 
Fossil Europe GmbH, Christian Coenen, Vice President Sales Germany:
We use the trade fair to present the “Fossil Brand Platform” to our retailers. This is where we can introduce the products, concepts as well as campaigns for the entire year. Our close to 1,000 meetings in three days prove that we properly use inhorgenta Europe for communication with our business partners.
 
Festina Uhren GmbH, Maximilian Schiessl, Marketing:
The trade show went very well for us. Prior to the event we had already set up 400 meetings. Accordingly the order situation was very positive, and customers were clearly ready to invest. The international character of the event has consistently increased in the last few years; we had many customer visits from Eastern Europe in particular.
 
Casio Europe GmbH, Andreas Schult, Sales Manager:
Our impression of inhorgenta europe 2010 is very positive. We counted more customers than last year and excellent sales. In addition to customers from Germany and Austria, there were also many visitors from Eastern Europe and Italy. The atmosphere was generally very positive.
 
Frédérique Constant Deutschland GmbH & Alpina, Lothar Elmer, Sales Director:
A year ago we repositioned ourselves in Munich. Therefore it was very important for us to be at inhorgenta europe as an exhibitor. In the last few days we received a lot of positive feedback from the market and met with your top brand retailers. It was definitely a good decision to exhibit at this event.
 
Schoeffel GmbH, Brigitte Kapelle, Head of Marketing:
The trade fair and our booth were very busy from the get-go. The first day began with strong showing. What recession? Each year there are new customers, in addition to Germany this time there were visitors from countries such as Switzerland, the Netherlands, Italy, and lately also from the Ukraine. Ordering activity was even a little better than last year. This trade fair is and remains an important platform for customer contact.
 
Gebr. Boley Uhren- und Schmucktechnik GmbH & Co. KG, Silke Lutz, Head of Purchasing:
Our expectations for this year’s inhorgenta europe were even exceeded: we did not notice any indication of the crisis. From day one there was always continuous traffic at our booth.
 
Ph. Hahn Söhne, Dieter Hahn, Owner:
For the duration of the entire exposition we continuously received inquiries from our business partners. This year small and mid-sized stones were in particular demand. Overall we can close out this event with truly positive results.
 
Dr. Gaetano Cavalieri, President CIBJO:
I want to speak as a visitor of inhorgenta europe: I am always impressed by the trade fair’s excellent organization. It makes the trade fair efficient to use, thanks to a clearly laid-out, straightforward, and practical structure. inhorgenta europe is the trade exposition in the heart of Europe.   
 
Wilfried Büscher, Owner of Büscher Time & Design, Kaarst:
For me, inhorgenta is a must. This is where I can find out what is new on the market. In addition, I get a very useful overview of the entire brand universe.
 
Robert Balser, Jeweller, Gießen:
inhorgenta europe is one of the most important platforms for contact between manufacturers, suppliers, and retailers. It is the perfect place for networking, on a personal level, or at panel discussions. This year I participated in one of them as a presenter. While inhorgenta used to be primarily an order show, it has evolved into an important industry get-together.

Three artists from three countries draw a geographical line from North to South, from the Netherlands via Switzerland to Italy. They also have in common an experimental approach to their artworks, inspired by change, transformation, and metamorphosis. Giampaolo Babetto, Johanna Dahm, and Ruudt Peters, who also have experience as lecturers, developed the artistic dialogue for the Firenze Preziosa 2010 together with a new generation artist each (Helen Britton, Andi Gut, and Evert Nijland). The resulting pieces are available for preview exclusively at inhorgenta europe from February 19th to 22nd, 2010 in hall C2.

First among them are the representatives of the Swiss watch elite, such as Frédéric Constant and Raymond Weil, or Jaques Lemans as a renowned representative of Austrian watch manufacture. Lothar Elmer, Sales Director for Frédéric Constant Germany comments on the trend to exhibit at inhorgenta: “Last year we received many requests particularly from Munich-based retailers that we exhibit at inhorgenta Europe. We are convinced that this trade fair offers the right environment for exclusive, mid-price to high-end watch brands, and we wanted to set a purposeful signal.”  Elmer further explains the reasons for his strategic considerations by mentioning that he believes inhorgenta europe is an important platform to attract interest and gain new, valuable contacts. Elmer is not the only one who thinks this way. Norbert Jensen, General Manager of Raymond Weil distributor Näher & Jensen, explains: “We developed very innovative and attractive products for retail, which is very conveniently accessible in Munich. In particular, we will introduce a large ladies’ watch collection with a variety of designs and price levels.” Of course, there is always a prestigious one-of-a-kind piece – a pink watch with inset bezel from the “Freelancer” collection.

Furthermore, Sir Gabriel Tolkowsky, the gemstone cutting expert, will present on “New Diamond Cuts”. The question “How much design does a brand need?” will be investigated in a panel discussion with various experts - this is only one of the many events covering the topic of “Design”, one of the leading topics at inhorgenta europe 2010. In addition, valuable practical advice for management is provided: industry and retail insiders will discuss “The Renaissance of Specialty Retail – a winner in difficult economic times?” at the inhorgenta europe Round Table. All presentations are translated simultaneously from German into English. Special exhibits at the ”inhorgenta europe Design Podiums” include the ”Forum Konzepte” (“Forum Concepts”), ”Forum Innovation”, as well as the exhibitions “Brand New – New Brand” and ”Forum Silberschmiede” (“Forum Silversmiths”). “Modern Silver” is another focus topic expressed in a special exhibit. “The essential mission of our trade fair is to provide know-how, inspiration and motivation,” comments Armin Wittmann, Exhibition Director inhorgenta europe. “In addition to getting a comprehensive overview of the entire watch and jewellery industry trade fair visitors will benefit from practical and relevant expert opinions and advice, as well as from discussing current issues with business colleagues.”

Today mechanical watches can be found in all price categories. The high art of watch making and precise hand crafting of filigree elements inspires more fascination than ever. Visitors will experience this fascination up close and personal, and can look forward to viewing technical innovations and high-quality designs made in Germany. The goldsmith academy Pforzheim with its watch making academy and the watch making institute Glashütte offer a glimpse into the complexity of mechanical watch movements and offer clever demonstrations. While this is the third time the contingent from Pforzheim graces the event, this is the premiere for the delegation from Glashütte. In addition to the two watch making schools, there are other watch exhibitors at this forum, such as Meistersinger, Costro, Uhren Greiner, Mechanical Watches, Schaumburg Watch, Hacher Uhren GmbH, Arctos and UTS München. Interested parties can speak directly to the watch makers at booth 402/503 in hall A1, and become inspired by the fascinating art of watch making.

Stéphane Gordon, the new General Manager of Festina Germany, explains why the EU’s largest trade fair for watches, jewellery, gemstones, pearls, and technology is so attractive: “As a leading European trade event inhorgenta europe sets the trends for the upcoming year. Furthermore, in times of economic difficulties it is especially important to work closely with one’s partners.” In addition to Festina Group several other companies will either exhibit at inhorgenta europe for the first time or return to the event in 2010, such as the brands Dugena and Davidoff, under new management by Nova Tempora, or Esprit, now part of Swiss Marlox AG, and planning a 425 square meter exhibit. Swarovski, the world’s leading manufacturer of crystal jewellery, will also return to the Munich-based exposition. And last but not least Frédérique Constant, Aerowatch, Niessing and the German Watchmaking Institute Glashütte will present their latest models in Munich. Several of last year’s exhibitors have decided to considerably expand their exhibit booths, such as traditional watch company Junghans and jewellery manufacturer Pandora, featuring a booth twice the size of their prior year’s exhibit. The newcomers and returnees hail from a number of countries, dominated by Germany, Poland, Great Britain, and China, as well as nations such as the United Arab Emirates, India and the U.S.A. Trade show management expects a total of ca. 1,200 exhibitors and 30,000 trade fair visitors from all over the world. 

The Silver Summer Gallery offers exquisite culinary creations, served in a “hands-on” exhibition of hand-crafted tableware made of silver, which each guest can personally select. Last year’s Silver Summer Gallery became a very popular meeting place for entrepreneurs, designers, artists, and buyers. The table becomes a place for talking and meeting, and the silver utensils and their use are part of the discussion. Trade fair visitors come into contact with a new table culture and are encouraged to experience how important a design, an idea, a material, or a type of finish can be for the enjoyment of culinary delights. Beginning in 2010 the project will become part of all universities with jewelry and tableware departments in Germany, which will also allow inhorgenta europe to delve deeper into the designs of creative newcomers. 

Georg Spreng, independent designer and jewelry producer: “inhorgenta europe is the most important platform for platinum jewelry and a must for our foreign customers, in particular those from North America.” He believes that the precious material’s neutral coloring is what makes it so attractive, because it does not distort jewelry designs in any way. Platinum is and remains her absolute “favorite metal”, according to Helene Apitzsch, jewelry designer from Munich. She has worked for close to 30 years with the exclusive white metal and asks: “Why shouldn’t customers select only the best? Platinum is the purest, most precious metal and synonymous for something extraordinary.” In her opinion inhorgenta europe is the most important staging ground for the platinum jewelry scene: “Even visitors from foreign countries tell us that they consider inhorgenta the most important design show, and they praise the beautiful atmosphere.” The Platinum Guild Germany also has its own exhibit area, bordered by leading manufacturers and design studios. Wilhelm Tigges of Niessing Manufaktur GmbH is impressed: “If a retailer wants to find platinum jewelry, he simply has to come to inhorgenta europe!“ www.preciousplatinum.de