Over the years, we have all grown accustomed to the fact that K exhibitors have a whole bag of tricks, all on show in the massive halls that dot the Düsseldorf fairgrounds. On day seven, it became increasingly clear that the term "bag lady", or for that matter "bag man", has taken on a whole new meaning in the context of the microcosm that is K. They are everywhere! Brown and crinkled, as if having had survived numerous trips to the supermarket and back. In actual fact, they are fresh off the belt, with visitors queuing up to an hour at Arburg's (Loßburg / Germany; www.arburg.com) booth to get their hands on one.

Only 765 of yesterday's 27,000 visitors actually managed to bag one. What exactly they will do with it remains unclear. What is certain is that yesterday's visitor numbers were down 4,000 from 2007 and that those with bags in their hands are much better off than those with bags under their eyes.