GERMANY - In just over eight months the trade fair duo of imm Cologne/LivingKitchen will open its doors and already more than 75 per cent of the exhibition area is reserved.

In total, Koelnmesse expects around 1,200 exhibitors from 50 countries that will provide a look ahead to the trends for the coming year across a gross exhibition space of 270,000 square meters.

“With more than 70 per cent of our exhibitors coming from outside Germany, this unique 360-degree showcase offers opportunities like no other trade fair to do business with purchasers from Europe, including Eastern Europe, and overseas markets. In Cologne trend scouts can discover progressive design experiments, and retailers and wholesalers can find design selected for the market in an easily accessible format. imm cologne impresses visitors because it has the right balance between a showroom and business, design and suitability for daily use, completeness and compactness,” says Matthias Pollmann, Vice President Trade Fair Management at Koelnmesse, as he explains imm cologne’s importance. “I am confident that we will see an increase in trade visitors next year of around 10 per cent, which will further emphasise the business aspect of the trade fair,” he adds.

As in every second year, in January 2019 LivingKitchen will once again be a major highlight and a key component of the co-located events and provide an overview of the international kitchen market. “As a trendsetting kitchen show that aims to represent the national and international markets, we see LivingKitchen as a crucial platform in the German trade fair landscape,” says Pollmann. Registrations currently total 161 companies from 22 countries, with 65 of the registered companies coming from Germany. This means that from 14 to 20 January 2019 Cologne will be the trend barometer for the international furnishing world.