D – The GWW-Trend Autumn opened its doors on September 24, 2024. After the last autumn edition was staged at the RheinMain CongressCenter in Wiesbaden in 2023, this autumn the well-known industry get-together attracted trade visitors to Cologne: The trade show organised by the German promotional products association, GWW was held in the Congress Centre North at Koelnmesse for the first time this year. The spacious, light-flooded exhibition hall offered a pleasant setting for the product show that was exclusively open to promotional products consultants.
According to the organisers, 147 exhibitors (2023: 145) took advantage of the opportunity to present their novelties and established highlights to 556 visitors (2023: 591) from the promotional products trade.
The product groups represented ranged from drinkware to electronic gadgets, notebooks, writing instruments, umbrellas, sweets, textiles and co. and the focus lay on year-end gifts. In addition to sustainability and alternative materials, the clearly recognisable product trends included employer branding themes such as onboarding and staff loyalty.
Overall, the conclusion of the exhibitors was positive, even if the rush of visitors already began to dye down in the afternoon. For example, among others Johanna Jander, Magna sweets, was satisfied with the outcome of the trade show: “The autumn edition of the GWW-Trend is an established meeting-point for the trade and a good venue date for discussing projects for the year-end business.” Klaus Kuso, BIC Graphics, added: “It was a bit quiet at the start due to our position in the exhibition hall, but then we were engaged in discussions non-stop and met with some good customers. The autumn edition is a fixed date in our diaries.” Volker Biedermann from XD Connects confirmed this: “There were several of us on the stand and we were busy all the time.”
In addition to the frequency at the stands and the quality of the contacts, the successful catering offer further enhanced the positive mood. // Claudia Pfeifer
photos: Mika Gehlen, Claudia Pfeifer, © WA Media
