Fibo, the international trade show for fitness and wellness, reported a 9.1 percent increase in exhibitors to a record of 517 firms for this year’s edition, held from April 19-22 in Essen, Germany. Visitor attendance grew by 3.2 percent to hit 48,800.
A survey conducted at the show indicated that more than 12 percent of trade visitors placed orders worth more than €200,000, and a quarter of these exceeded €1 million. Training equipment was the leader, but demand was also high for studio and practice equipment, as well as furnishings in the health promotion and wellness segments. One visitor speculated that the sector continues to do well despite the economic downturn because the cost of health-care keeps rising, so people spend more to keep themselves healthy.
Also at the show, honorees were presented with the Fibo Innovation Awards. For training equipment, Enformax Europe won it for its Enforbike. Teca of Italy won in the design category for its Beauty by Teca line of fitness equipment. In the health category, the winner was the Dr. Wolff Sports and Prevention back therapy center in Germany. And in the “concept special category,” Milon Industries was chosen by the jury for delivering the best overall concept with the sale of equipment.
The next Fibo will run on April 22-25, 2010, again in Essen.
