ORGATEC 2026 brought the international workspace and contract interiors sector together in Cologne from 27 to 30 October, with 550 exhibiting companies from 39 countries presenting products, solutions and concepts for human-centred workspaces and adaptable contract interiors. More than 40,000 trade visitors from 116 countries attended the event.
International exhibitors represented 78 per cent of the total, while approximately 56 per cent of visitors came from outside Germany. Exhibitors highlighted the quality of the visitor profile and the opportunities to establish business contacts. Design Post Köln, which was also open to ORGATEC visitors as part of the parallel event idd cologne, generated additional synergies.
The event introduced an overarching central theme for the first time in 2026. “From rooms to relationships: designing spaces in an ever-changing world” addressed how workspaces and contract interiors can support interaction and collaboration while remaining flexible enough to respond to changing requirements.
“ORGATEC 2026 demonstrated impressively how important strong industry platforms are, especially in persistently challenging market conditions. The sector’s leading trade fair performed exceptionally across the board – from the innovative exhibitor showcases to the audience of international decision-makers it attracted, all the way through to the high-calibre event programme. Together with our partner, the German Interior Business Association (IBA), we have succeeded once again in positioning Cologne as the leading gathering place for the future of workspaces and contract interiors,” says Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse.
Helmut Link, President of the IBA Management Board, said: “ORGATEC 2026 clearly showed how systematically the industry is driving the transformation of the world of work forward with new ideas and concepts. Given the contraction of the German market, it’s now more important than ever before to open up international markets, consolidate customer relationships and establish new partnerships. In this context, ORGATEC is crucially important to the industry: It brings supply and demand together and creates tangible business opportunities, thereby strengthening our sector’s competitiveness and future viability.”
Flexible concepts for changing requirements
Exhibitor presentations and product launches reflected the central theme through modular and customisable interior systems, configurable room-in-room solutions and multifunctional concepts. Open communication areas, informal gathering points and comfortable soft-seating were presented as ways to encourage face-to-face exchange and strengthen communities. Ergonomic furniture and solutions designed to promote movement also highlighted the role of physical well-being in contemporary workspaces.
Festival, exhibitions and visitor formats
The Wherever Whenever – Work Culture Festival returned for its second edition after its premiere in 2024. Organised in close collaboration with IBA, the programme included talks, panel discussions, workshops, exhibitions and interactive formats focused on offices, modern workspaces and future work culture. The ORGATEC x WW-FESTIVAL PARTY added a networking opportunity with live music from pop singer Alice Merton.
The special exhibition “ORGATEC 2026 presents the Eames Pavilion System by Kettal in collaboration with the Eames Office” used two walk-through configurations to show how design principles developed by Charles and Ray Eames could be applied to a contemporary modular building framework. Guided tours supported visitors in navigating the exhibition, while the planning tool Your Perfect Day @ ORGATEC offered individually curated themed routes.
An interiors week across Cologne
Held in parallel with ORGATEC, interior design days (idd cologne) broadened the programme to include private residential interiors. Its centrepiece, Design Post Köln, presented more than 40 international brands, supported by two additional exhibition locations, showrooms and stores across the city. Design Season Cologne added an urban design festival with further events and formats.
Together, ORGATEC, idd cologne and Design Season Cologne created an interiors week spanning workspace, contract and residential interiors. The events connected different parts of the interior design industry and attracted both sector professionals and design enthusiasts.
The next edition of ORGATEC will take place in Cologne from 10 to 13 October 2028 and will mark the 75th anniversary of the international trade fair.
