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The No. 1 Show comes to Istanbul! ZOW Premiere January 31 - February 3, 2008

It’s an indispensable feature of the furniture landscape in Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia and China: ZOW, the supplier show for the furniture and interior design industries, which in 1995 started out on its triumphant road to success in the East Westphalian town of Bad Salzuflen with 49 exhibitors and 1,400 trade visitors. Today worldwide, there are more than 2,000 exhibitors and 60,000 visitors year-on-year – and the figures are still rising – which makes ZOW what it is today: the no.1 trade show for this industry.

In January 2008, this successful show is coming to Istanbul, offering Turkish and international suppliers a platform at the Istanbul Expo Center, from which to capture the market in Turkey and the Middle East. The show organizer is Istanbul-based Survey Fuarcilik Danismanlik Ltd. STI.

The date and location have been selected for optimum effect. With sufficient lead-time ahead of the key furniture shows in Turkey, ZOW showcases supplier innovations in surfaces and fittings, components, semi-finished products, upholstery fabrics and leather - the whole product range at a glance. This leaves furniture manufacturers with enough time to incorporate the new products on display into this season's furniture lines. As in all its locations, ZOW in Turkey also takes place precisely where a concentration of furniture manufacturers can be reached: in Istanbul. The ultra-modern show location at the Istanbul Expo Center in the immediate vicinity of Atatürk Airport provides an ideal setting for a successful ZOW in Turkey.

But why Turkey? The simple answer is that, with its economy growing at an annual rate of ten percent, Turkey is one of the most lucrative markets worldwide. The furniture market is booming and offers national and international suppliers first-rate sales opportunities. The furniture industry has been one of the strongest growth industries in Turkey for several years now, favored with high investment from private businesses and state institutions in the housing construction sector. In 2005 and 2006, the production volumes for furniture in Turkey increased by
50 percent in each year, and a similar rate of increase is expected in 2007.

Young people make up a high proportion of the overall population of
73 million: around 28 percent of the Turkish population are aged 15 or under and just six percent are older than 65. By 2013, the total population will increase to 79 million. Urbanization continues apace, and purchasing power which is on the increase in urban consumer centers boosts sales. These are optimal conditions for the Turkish furniture industry, which is increasingly winning export market shares alongside a prosperous domestic market.

Turkey has always been regarded as the gateway to the Middle East - to the high performance "furniture lands" such as Syria, Iran, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. With its large number of large construction projects, the Emirates in particular offers great sales opportunities for international suppliers to the property sector. Located at the interface between Orient and Occident, Istanbul is ideally placed to develop these markets. And ZOW provides the platform.

The ZOW Workshop Concept

Those not already familiar with the ZOW concept have every reason to be excited about a special business event of this kind. People, products and contacts take center-stage at this unique trade show, which has made a name for itself worldwide with its workshop concept. Show stands designed for openness and transparency in established stand sizes with standardized display modules are inviting to visitors and enable even smaller businesses to have a fitting presence. Managed forum spaces create open areas, enabling contact between exhibitors and visitors to take place in a relaxed atmosphere. Parking, entry to the show and catering are free of charge to trade visitors. As only the decision-makers in companies are invited, ZOW creates a basis for excellent business right from the start.

Exhibitors book an all-inclusive package, which includes all the essential exhibition goods and services: exhibition stand space and display units, carpeted floors and ceilings, lighting and electricity supply, parking lot supervision and security, website entry, advertising and PR work relating to the show. Show organizer, Survey, takes over the entire organization and makes it as easy as possible for exhibitors. On the day before the show, all that's required is for exhibitors to arrange their products on the previously-selected stand modules for maximum impact. Service par excellence.

With ZOW in Turkey, Survey has now created a sixth ZOW platform worldwide, thereby covering off another important region on the international furniture production map. The conditions for a successful ZOW premiere in Istanbul are in place - exhibitors and trade visitors from Turkey and elsewhere are set to make the show a success.