IT solutions for retailers are booming

EuroCIS 2007, the International Trade Fair Communications, Information and Security Technology in Retail, closed on a high after its three-day run in Düsseldorf on Thursday, 1 March 2007. Both exhibitors and visitors were unanimous in their expressions of satisfaction. A clear portrait of the fair's success is painted by the figures: 216 exhibitors from 16 countries showcased their latest products, solutions and trends for the retail industry at EuroCIS 2007. Some 5,200 international trade visitors from all retail sectors travelled to the Rhine to investigate the range of offerings. The international profile of the visitors was further enhanced as compared with last year's event - a third of trade visitors (one in four in 2006) arrived from outside Germany's borders. Switzerland, Austria and the Benelux states provided the largest contingents, but the Scandinavians and Eastern Europeans were also out in force. Large delegations came from Finland, Russia and Ukraine.

Best of all, the calibre of those attending reached a new record high with 70 percent of visitors holding executive positions and over 40 percent indicating that they belonged to the top management. Among them were high-ranking representatives from all segments and trading forms of the international retail industry. Prof. Götz Werner, managing partner of the drugstore chain, dm, and President of the EHI Retail Institute, is convinced of EuroCIS's key role: "Every entrepreneur needs to reinvent his business every day and constantly work on improvements. And that's exactly where EuroCIS comes in. The fair has established itself as a vital forum for innovations dedicated to the retail industry.”

The excellent figures are also borne out in the levels of satisfaction expressed by exhibitors. Volker Scheffer, Director Market Development Retail & Wholesales at SAP Deutschland AG & Co. KG, enthused, "EuroCIS definitely paid off for us. At the end of the first day, we had to request additional specialist staff to assist with product presentation at our stand. The response was fantastic - business was booming. We are 120 percent satisfied with EuroCIS 2007.” Thomas Fell, head of retail, services, transport and tourism at IBM Deutschland GmbH, also emphasises the benefits for exhibitors: "For us, EuroCIS is the retail fair of the year. Our expectations had already been exceeded by the second day.”

The Düsseldorf trade fair pros were delighted with all the words of praise and satisfaction: "The resounding nature of this extremely positive result came as a surprise to us. EuroCIS 2007 has made the leap from a small specialist fair to a leading annual platform for IT solutions catering to retailers. It's especially gratifying for us to note the even more international profile of the fair and the consistently high calibre of trade visitors,” said Wilhelm Niedergöker, Managing Director at Messe Düsseldorf.

The attendees, too, were happy with their experience - over 90 percent reported having achieved the goals set for their visit. The satisfied clients also included representatives from mid-sized companies, active largely in textile retailing, who came to EuroCIS 2007 on a fact-finding mission about IT solutions aimed specifically at SMEs. At this year's EuroCIS, visitors' interest was focused on EPOS and checkout systems, wireless technologies and cash management. Good visitor attendance was also recorded at the EuroCIS Exhibitor Forum, which presented hands-on tips for business success from the heart of the trade fair.

The two EHI congresses staged in conjunction with the fair, the "retail technology days europe” and "Retail Innovation Conference”, were also welcomed. At the debut edition of the "retail technology days europe”, the topics in the spotlight were self-checkouts and the internationalisation of IT systems. The 400 participants in the seventh Retail Innovation Conference were treated to an exploration of the retail industry's future, which also took current issues in its stride. Leading industry experts teased out the significance of innovation for retail as well as highlighting staff as one of the secrets to success. Aside from the importance of expanding into international markets, it was also pointed out that domestic markets offer a rich source of potential.

The next staging of EuroCIS will open its doors under the umbrella of EuroShop 2008 in Düsseldorf from 23 to 27 February.

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Dr. Cornelia Jokisch/Sonja Zimmermann
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1 March 2007