The pandemic has led to changes that affect the whole of society and are being reflected in medium- and long-term shifts in buying and usage behaviour. The entire sector is experiencing multidimensional change and has to find its individual path to the NEW NORMAL. The key issues that will determine the way ahead: How do we meet customers’ changed needs, e.g. working and living with flexible, modular and sustainable furnishings; changing order cycles (many factors are making the exact amount of time between the B2B order and B2C delivery of the goods to the customer increasingly unpredictable); changes in the exchange between business partners – classic industry get-togethers like trade shows haven’t taken place for a long time; changed possibilities for showcasing one’s own competencies and, ultimately, changed business models, from the circular economy, influencers and 3D printing all the way to e-commerce.
After two years of “waiting and seeing” and testing different approaches, the industry needs new ideas for shaping the future. Whereas other trade show companies are going down the path of concentration and combining trade fairs, the Koelnmesse team’s response to these challenges lies in three pop-up formats that have been developed exclusively for this year. With Sleep Cologne in May, Home meets spoga+gafa in June and Pure meets ORGATEC in October, the trade fair team is creating three pop-up formats that will provide a wealth of business opportunities on the way to imm cologne 2023. “We see ourselves as setting the pace for the industry; that’s why, on our way to an energised imm cologne revival in 2023, we want to use the various pop-up formats to take an active approach and drive things forward instead of waiting to see what happens,” says Matthias Pollmann, Vice President Trade Fair Management at Koelnmesse. “We’re offering companies flexible solutions and redefining the 2022 trade show year! Under the central idea of Three Steps on the Road to imm cologne 2023, we’ve developed three attractive participation options specially for the interiors sector. This allows companies to present their products to relevant and in some cases new decision-makers and benefit from the different dates and synergies of the various interiors formats,” continues Pollmann. “This undoubtedly unconventional approach was motivated by the insight that the interiors sector needs continuous points of contact, which Koelnmesse provides with a portfolio that covers the entire value chain, from interzum and ZOW to spoga+gafa and imm cologne, all the way to Orgatec.”
The four platforms at a glance:
Sleep Cologne is aimed at manufacturers of all product categories that are relevant to the bedroom: mattress and sleep systems, box-spring beds and waterbeds, bedding, bed linen and accessories. This format is being organised with the support of the German Mattress Industry Association.
The benefit for trade visitors is that Sleep Cologne will be the only overarching trade fair format in 2022 that shines a spotlight on every aspect of the bedroom world.
Home meets spoga+gafa in June is perfectly timed for placing early orders for the following seasons – from summer and autumn 2022 until winter 2022/23. As a result, participants can market their range for the following eight to nine months in the middle of the year. The timing is also ideal for presenting established bestsellers: times are still uncertain and the market is volatile, so that even bestselling models with minor updates will find a platform for boosting business at Home meets spoga+gafa. In addition, participants will benefit from two further advantages: visitors and internationality. The spoga+gafa fair has been consistently reporting growing visitor and exhibitor numbers since 2016. This is where the seeds are sown for the next season: online shops and platforms, garden centres and barbecue specialists have brought the biggest visitor increases over the last three years. On the exhibitor side, Home meets spoga+gafa is aimed at manufacturers from the middle of the market and of course outdoor furniture producers. Because the trend has established itself: indoor and outdoor spaces are increasingly merging into integrated living environments.
Pure meets ORGATEC: As a global hub for modern working environments, ORGATEC has never been as relevant as it is today. It brings different perspectives together, redefines and reinvents work and depicts the multifacetedness of working environments with forward-looking concepts. For many exhibitors, that’s a new and attractive context because, driven by the pandemic, living and working are two areas of life that are increasingly merging. Pure meets ORGATEC is an opportunity to showcase product ranges in a different setting and appeal to new target groups – especially investors, building contractors, project developers, planners, designers, architects and interior designers, but also of course specialist retailers. Particularly for exhibitors who want to boost their activities in the contract business, Pure meets ORGATEC is therefore the place to be. The format is aimed at manufacturers of designer and name brand furniture with wide-ranging collections. As a result, the pop-up format provides an unprecedented setting for fascinating and inspiring ideas, promising contacts and an active cross-industry exchange. The interested trade audience will take inspiration from exhibitors’ design presentations and join them in creating new and visionary working and living spaces.
imm cologne 2023: imm cologne is the playground of the future, the marketplace for new ideas, trends and products from the entire world of interiors. imm cologne is and always will be the focal point for the Home&Living portfolio that has an impact on all other formats. After the turbulence of 2022, imm cologne will return to its regular event mode and strengthen our leading fair – as the central sourcing platform for Europe and beyond. At the same time, with two digital components and the live event in January, imm cologne 365 will stand for an all-year-round trade fair experience. While “the magazine by imm cologne” provides top-quality interiors content and trend reports in digital form throughout the year and B2B networks facilitate digital matchmaking, as well as listing product and company profiles, imm cologne is the live platform for Home&Living.
After two years of distance, interior professionals, decision-makers and multipliers from the interiors sector can’t wait to exchange ideas and communicate in person, make new contacts and shape tomorrow’s living environments together. In 2022, the new formats within the framework of existing events will provide the perfect conditions for that: this is where people, ideas and pathways to success connect, where the most important trends and innovations in interior design are shared and promoted. Matthias Pollmann: “Let us take full advantage of the clear and tangible opportunities that only direct in-person contact can provide. Join us in taking these Three Steps on the Road to imm cologne 2023, because now is definitely the time for exchange.”
