InterTabac and InterSupply 2017 Break all Previous Records

Staff Report

More than 12,500 trade visitors (FKM certified) from all over the world and 560 exhibitors met at the shows held in Westfalenhallen in Dortmund, Germany this past September.  Visitors from overseas counted for 41% of the trade visitors, 10% higher than last year, and were mainly from the Benelux countries, Denmark, France, UK, Italy, Poland, Spain, Brazil, Israel, Lebanon, UAE, China, Australia, and US. Of the 560 exhibitors, 65% were from abroad.

This year’s event was also the largest, taking over eight halls where exhibitors and visitors could  meet, network, and conduct business.

Long considered the world’s largest trade fair for tobacco products and smoking accessories, InterTabac remains the place to be for industry insiders. An independent survey found that 79.4% of the exhibitors stated that their expectations were completely or partly fulfilled and 7.9% stated that their expectations were even exceeded. The survey also found that 93% of trade visitors found their visit to be worthwhile, 84% said there is absolutely nothing about the trade fair that needs improvement, and 62% only visit InterTabac and no other trade fair with comparable topic range.

The largest visitor groups in 2017 again came from the retail sector, followed by the wholesale sector and the industrial sector. The largest professional groups were entrepreneurs, managing directors, and department managers. More than 90% are involved in purchase decisions at their companies in an advisory, co-deciding, or decision-making capacity.

Cigars, cigarillos, cigarettes, smoking accessories, and cigarette paper were the most popular products this year. According to the survey, there was also a significant increase in visitor interest in e-cigarettes and shisha, which also scored top marks for visitor popularity.

The visitors’ assessment of the entire offer range of the trade fair improved and reached a rating of 1.9.

The evidently increasing market importance of e-cigarettes was reflected by the focus given to this segment by the trade fair this year. The relevant exhibitors were all located in the new halls 2, 2N, and 3A, creating a more comprehensive platform.

According to Dac Sprengel, chairman of the E-cigarette Trade Association (Verband des eZigarettenhandels e.V.- VdeH), “The e-cigarette sector is growing. As things stand, there was again a strong increase by about 50% in the German market in 2017 compared to the previous year. This growth was also reflected at the InterTabac trade fair. Numerous established and new traders exhibited their products tailored to the tobacconist trade.”

A cooperation agreement was signed between the VdeH and the Westafalenhallen exhibition center at the trade fair. “The VdeH has succeeded in reaching an agreement with Messe Westfalenhallen Dortmund GmbH to continue to strengthen the e-cigarette trade in future. The association members get an incentive to participate in the trade fair. That makes the industry’s trade fair even more attractive and we are pleased about this very promising development,” said Sprengel.

Another focus in the 2017 show was on water pipes, concentrated in Hall 8. The changed layout allowed the trade visitors overall to easily find their way around and to find major product segments grouped together in one place.

InterSupply, where everything again revolved around the production of tobacco goods, also benefited from the new hall allocation in 2017. It was completely surrounded by the InterTabac trade fair and situated in a central position so that the visitor exchange improved. About half of the InterTabac visitors stated that they also wanted to visit InterSupply. At InterSupply, trade visitors were mainly interested in raw tobacco, flavors and additives, packaging, and machinery for the production of tobacco goods. Visitors could meet with 95 InterSupply exhibitors from 26 countries in Hall 3B.

The survey found that 85.4% of the exhibitors stated that their expectations of the

InterSupply trade fair were fully or partly fulfilled and another 8.8% stated that their expectations were even exceeded.

Even before the 2017 shows had ended, exhibitors and visitors alike were already planning their attendance next year. About 93% of visitors said they intend to come back in 2018, while 91% of InterTabac exhibitors and 94% of InterSupply exhibitors want to take part in the shows again.

InterTabac and InterSupply 2018 will take place 21-23 September, 2018.