“In addition to the large and well-known luxury brands Germany also boasts a very distinguished guild of smaller watch manufacturers,” explains Armin Wittmann, Project Manager inhorgenta europe. “We want to offer them an opportunity to present themselves in a professional environment right next to the big names in the industry.” Watch exhibition hall A1 will host the new platform, as well as the classic selection of watches at inhorgenta europe.
 
Powerful stepping stone for small manufacturers
Most smaller watch manufacturers, so Armin Wittmann, hesitate to invest in the rental of a standard exhibition booth. The “Forum German Zeitgeist” will change all that: “Thanks to a showcase-style presentation at a joint forum the trade show offers new exhibition opportunities. Thus each watch manufacturer is provided with an opportunity to take part in inhorgenta Europe”. The concept of the exhibition area is similar to the newcomer forum “Brand New – New Brand” in design jewelry exhibition hall C2: open, inviting, and with ample room to stroll through. Visitors will be able to get a glimpse of the multi-faceted talent of German watch makers in elaborately designed showcases as well as directly at the exhibition booths, while the presentation encourages direct contact with the manufacturers. Furthermore, the “Forum German Zeitgeist” will host live demonstrations of the precision craft of watch making.

New buyer levels from Eastern Europe
Hall A1 at inhorgenta europe is one of Europe’s most significant platforms for the European watch market. Among the exhibitors are well-known manufacturers such as Fossil, Casio, Morellato & Sector, Binda Group, Egana Goldpfeil, and Elysee. Furthermore, many premium manufacturers, including Chronoswiss, Alexander Shorokhoff, and Raymond Weil, return to Munich year after year. Such a top selection attracted more than 30,000 industry visitors to inhorgenta europe 2008. A third of the visitors came from abroad, from a total of 78 nations. The top ten visitor countries were Austria, Spain, Netherlands, Switzerland, Great Britain, Italy, Greece, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. The strongest increase in visitors came from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Poland.  
 
“The ‘Forum German Zeitgeist’ is a perfect fit with our program and our visitor structure,” explains Armin Wittmann. Especially the new growth markets in Eastern Europe seem to exhibit high demand for German quality products. “High-caliber watch manufacturers have the chance to tap these new levels of buyers at inhorgenta europe 2009.” Watch manufacturers interested in taking part in the presentation at “Forum German Zeitgeist”, may register until October 31st.