The highlight and conclusion to the trade fair for the exhibitors of spoga horse autumn 2018 was the award ceremony of the spoga horse award on September 4. Taking the trade visitor voting into account, the jury awarded a first and second place among the 21 nominees in the categories Innovations, Sustainability/Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sales Concepts. All of the nominees were exhibited on the spoga horse award area throughout the entire duration of the trade fair. The exhibitors submitted just under 50 entries to the competition. The award was conferred for the 18th time already by Koelnmesse in cooperation with the media partner equitrends. The category Innovations is traditionally the supreme discipline of the award. Here, the trade visitors had a significant influence on the jury's decision and were able to help their favourite into first place. Hence, the company Voss Faible secured itself the victory with the Gentle Groomer. The Gentle Groomer is compact and convincing because of its practical shape, which among others helps groom the horse's legs and head when they are shedding their coat. Furthermore, the all-in-one tool offers further application options. Second place went to the Freejump System for the SPUR'ONE spurs. The attractive Freejump spurs can be adapted to fit differently shaped and a variety of sizes of boots thanks to their flexible branch. The lightweight spurs additionally excel because of their especially flexible spur straps. The entries to the category Sustainability/CSR reflected a trend within the industry that was clearly visible at the trade fair: A responsible attitude towards nature and our resources. This brings with it an increased concentration of natural products as well as the production of sustainable equestrian fashion made of recycled materials. MM Cosmetic GmbH was particularly able to convince with its Zedan goes natural line. Zedan sells certified natural products, the standards of the certification are checked annually. What's more, the company is currently in the process of adapting its entire range of products. Long-term, the entire product range is to comply with the standards for natural cosmetics. The jury's verdict: A courageous first step has been taken in this direction. The company Kingsland took second place for Kingsland Earth. In the case of the eco-friendly collection that ranges from socks to jackets, through to woollen hats, the concept of sustainability is integrated into the product development in several ways: For instance 11 plastic bottles are recycled for the jackets. The presentations in the category Sales Concepts were especially exciting for the trade visitors. The aim of the entries is first and foremost to offer specialised shops and specialised dealers added value. The jury and the trade visitors agreed that here MM Cosmetic Zedan offers the greatest potential. The company took first place again this time for its care concept against eczema. For the jury Zedan presented an all-round concept for the care and treatment of horses suffering from sweet itch. The concept that is divided up into three product groups enables a clear overview of the line-up and supports the equestrian sport dealer with his consulting and selling tasks. HKM Sports Equipment GmbH equally impressed the jury with its TV advertising spot. The company was awarded second place for it. HKM addresses a large audience with the TV spot and thus directly supports the specialised stores - in a novel, special way on the equestrian sport retail market.
