On Wednesday, January 24, the management of Koelnmesse evaluated the trade fair imm cologne. One of the agenda items was the theft of goods from several exhibitors, as reported by InteriorDaily (Belgian furniture factory's showroom completely emptied at imm Cologne!). Last week we asked the organisation several questions about the theft (Koelnmesse regards theft as a serious issue: 'The reported incidents are disheartening'), in which they mentioned they would discuss the issue.
Koelnmesse claims to seriously consider the safety of its exhibitors and visitors.
The subject of 'safety and theft' was extensively discussed at the evaluation meeting of Koelnmesse on Wednesday. 'Although there were some particularly serious cases, especially during dismantling, we are not currently receiving an unusually high number of reports of theft at the imm cologne,' says director Bernd Sanden.
'Every theft is very annoying for those affected and is being followed up in detail by us. However, we cannot confirm the current impression that there has been a series of thefts. However, we take the issue very seriously and are reviewing all cases reported to us and measures to improve security with our security service.'
Surprised
'I am surprised by the position taken by the fair's management,' Jeffrey Koster indicates. 'When I went to report at the relevant department, there was a constant flow of people all reporting thefts; coffee makers, projectors, flat screens, and so on. The person who took my report even mentioned that it was chaotic. So, there is definitely a flood of thefts happening.'
Hans Verschuur, Sr. Sales Manager responsible for the Netherlands, says he was in contact last week with Bree's New World, Masterlight, interior label Versmissen, Carpet Creations and furniture industry Het Anker about the thefts.
It is not known whether the affected exhibitors are eligible for compensation.
More information:
imm cologne
www.imm-cologne.com