GERMANY – Interzum, the world’s leading trade fair for furniture production and interior design, held in Cologne, drew to an end on Friday, 24 May 2019, with outstanding results.

For 74,000 trade visitors during four full days, Interzum served as a source of inspiration for the design of future living spaces and presented the technical, haptic and visual refinements with which tomorrow’s furniture will set new standards. With 1,805 exhibitors from 60 countries (2017: 1,732 exhibitors from 59 countries), more companies than ever before showcased their innovations across an exhibition area covering approximately 190,000 square meters.

In addition to increasing its exhibitor numbers, the trade fair considerably expanded its international reach. The proportion of foreign visitors rose to around 75 per cent (2017: 73 per cent). Out of a total audience of 74,000 visitors, over 55,000 came from outside Germany. “We significantly exceeded our goal of topping the 70,000-visitor mark,” said Gerald Böse, President and Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse, who is delighted with the results. “This has been an almost magical anniversary event in every respect and one that we will all remember. An industry demonstrated its immense capacity for innovation in truly impressive style,” he added. Alongside visitors from Germany, the most strongly represented European nations were Italy, France, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Significant increases were seen in visitors from Asia (+22 per cent), with particularly strong growth from China (+48 per cent), as well as increases from Central and South America (+24 per cent), Eastern Europe (+21 per cent) and North America (+7 per cent).

In addition to familiarizing themselves with the product ranges of suppliers to the furniture industry, manufacturers, architects and designers were able to discover at Interzum a host of innovative materials and production processes. With a diverse range of special event areas, talk and discussion areas, piazzas and workshops on disruptive materials, surface design, digital printing, digital products and materials, smart systems, mobile living spaces and new technologies, Interzum 2019 linked a broad spectrum of future issues and product innovations for tomorrow’s homes. The standout themes this year that will set the direction of future developments were the continuing rise of individualization, energy efficiency and sustainability, light (LED), digitalization (including voice control), micro living and “slide and hide”.

The next Interzum will take place from 4 to 7 May 2021 in Cologne.