Cologne Jam posts further growth

24 Oct '08

3 min read

After a successful premiere at its Rhine-side venue in Cologne JAM can now report further capacity bookings. Already at this early stage more space has been let out than at the July event. Due to optimised use of hall space it will be possible to expand the event by a further 25% in January.

However, space is still increasingly scarce for new exhibitors. Responding to the many requests voiced, organisers in the team surrounding Günther Sommer (Head of Sales and Marketing) and Sebastian Klinder (Managing Partner) now wish to see the quality of exhibitors move more prominently into the foreground.

Commenting on this Günther Sommer said: “After surprisingly rapid growth we are now in the enviable position of being able to stabilise the fair and its mix of exhibitors. Exhibitor quantity is no longer an issue for the success of JAM.”

Originally designed as a purely jeans-focused fair, JAM now reflects an increasingly broad cross-section of the industry thanks its popularity with brands from other fashion segments such as Young Fashion, Sportswear, Streetwear and Accessories. Although the JAM team is still busy with canvassing they can already now report registrations from a number of interesting new exhibitors:

Young Fashion: Blutsgeschwister, Colcci, Anna Scott, Silvian Heach
Denim: Edwin Jeans, Killah (Sixty Group), Staff, Salsa, Rock Revival, H.I.S.
Sportswear: O'Neill, K-Swiss, Kangaroos, Chiemsee
Streetwear: Zoo York, Sir Benny Miles, Marc Ecko

To organise hall layout more coherently for visitors the exhibitor mix is to be fine tuned once more with the halls rearranged according to the different segments. The increasing internationalisation of the fair is very noticeable. Initially planned as a platform for German retail, JAM is seeing a constant rise in demand from retailers in France, the Benelux and England. Organisers anticipate large growth rates especially from Holland and Belgium. From November all key retailers in these two countries will be approached via targeted information events in, for instance Amsterdam, multi-phase direct marketing activities and ad placing.

While many of the registrations for the first JAM still came from companies' German sales organisations or local country offices, this time the fair is becoming noticeably more international.

Many registrations are now coming from firms' headquarters in France, Italy, England and Holland. This means many brands have booked considerably larger stands compared to last time in order to be able to present themselves in an ideal setting. It is positive to see that 85% of all brands from the launch in Munich are still convinced that JAM is the right platform for them.

For the first time now the forthcoming JAM event will run for a period of three days from Friday to Sunday. This move is aimed at giving visitors, especially smaller retailers, alternative options for attending the event during January's busy trade fair calendar. Furthermore, the overlap with CPD and the show room dates in Düsseldorf means the chance for other positive synergy effects – giving retailers a central hub to gather information on the 09/10 AW collections within a 60 km radius.

JAM Cologne

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