Closed on 8 November after four days, the Cologne FSB 2019 international exhibition on sports facilities confirmed the importance of the sector in today’s market; 46 Italian exhibitors, and also a sharp increase in visitors from our country. At the end of the article, the gallery with a selection of companies present in Cologne.
Cologne FSB 2019: report from the Fair
The participation of Italian companies in Cologne FSB 2019 confirms the interest in being present on the international market, also considering that in domestic fairs the sports facility sector is underrepresented.
It is a bit like a thermometer of what is perceived when talking to representatives of the productive world, who complain – which is not new – about the difficulties of operating in Italy because of the cumbersome bureaucratic and administrative procedures, and the uncertainty in time, especially in the public sector.
Recycling as a theme at Cologne FSB 2019
Moving on to the topics highlighted by the FSB and the traditional congress of IAKS (the International Association for Sports and Leisure Facilities), the issues related to artificial turf and more generally the problems of sustainability in the field of recycling of materials were the subject of debate, and also of a specific forum, “Recycling“. Underlining the theme of sustainability, the forum focused on the perspective of the life cycle of artificial surfaces (synthetic grass, anti-trauma protection, athletic tracks), which in the coming years will represent a growing challenge for field managers. A special space, supported by Regupol and Polytan, showed, for example, semi-finished and finished products illustrating the theme.
Figures
We are happy to report the official figures communicated by the Cologne Fair at the end of the event. The FSB 2019 was attended by 565 companies from 43 countries on a gross exhibition area of 60,600 m². These included 105 exhibitors from Germany and 460 exhibitors from abroad. Around 28,000 trade visitors from 128 countries attended the events in Cologne FSB 2019 and the contemporary aquanale (swimming pool and wellness fair). International visitors accounted for 67%, with particularly significant growth rates for guests from Belgium (+22%), Italy (+19%) and the United Kingdom (+16%). Eastern Europe recorded an increase of 37%. Growth outside Europe came in particular from Central and South America (+46%) and Asia (+17%).
The next edition is scheduled from 26 to 29 October 2021.
Review
Below, an overview of some exhibitors, met by Tsport/sport&impianti in the halls of FSB 2019 and Aquanale.
FSB:
aquanale:
