Impressive entry in the year of furniture 2018. Imm cologne closes with more than 125,000 visitors from 138 countries

On Sunday, January 21st of 2018, the Imm cologne closed with a positive balance. In total, some 125,000 visitors (including estimates for the last day of the fair) have been informed at the event about trends and developments in the sector. With this, the imm cologne - despite the hurricane “Friederike” that caused major traffic problems - has reached a slight increase in visitors compared to the comparable edition of 2016.

Hallendurchblick, Halle 3.2

Stand: rochebobois, Halle 11.1

More visitors have come from Europe and Asia, the No. 1 markets for German furniture exports. “The imm cologne is an efficient and excellent platform for international business,” said Gerald Böse, chairman of the management board of Koelnmesse.

Stand: & tradition, Halle 3.2, Halle 3.2

Stand: WÖSTMANN, Halle 10.1

Stand: Walter Knoll, Halle 11.2

Stand: MCA, Halle 8

Adding that “every year the fair provides important impulses for the sales of the industry in the decisive markets of the world“. Also the president of the Association of German Furniture Industry, Axel Schramm, has expressed his favorable impression:

“The German furniture industry is very satisfied with the imm cologne's extraordinarily positive results and with it a very good start in 2018. We hope that the impulses obtained in Cologne will accompany us throughout the year of furniture 2018. This success ferial will help furniture manufacturers to increase our exports and improve sales in the difficult German market “

Stand: profoli, Halle 8

Stand: KOINOR, Halle 10.2

More international visitors this year

Not only among the exhibitors, but also among the visitors, the imm cologne follows a growing trend in terms of internationality. The quota of foreigners increased in the days reserved for professional visitors up to approximately 50% (2016: 46%). Regarding Europe, there have been increases especially in visitors from Spain (+ 31%), Belgium (+ 16%), France (+ 11%), The Netherlands (+ 1%) and Eastern Europe (+ 54%) ), especially here in the case of Russia (+ 69%). There have also been clearly more visitors from Asia (+ 50%), especially from China (+ 82%) and Japan (+ 63%), from the Middle East (+ 15%), Australia / Oceania (+ 51%), North America (+ 12%) and Central America (+ 21%).

Stand: GAN, Halle 2.2

Stand: Treku, Halle 3.2

Imm Cologne as a powerful business platform for important trade executives.

Together with the high level of internationality that has characterized the fair during all the days of celebration, the exhibitors have valued extraordinarily the qualitative level of the visitors. In this sense, there have been representatives of specialized trade and international visitors of the first line from the furniture and decoration trade as well as interior design, many of them from the 30 most important commercial chains in the world. On the other hand, the executives of the large online platforms and department store chains have also attended imm cologne, including Alinea de Francia, John Lewis of Great Britain, Lars Larsen of Denmark as well as El Corte Inglés of Spain, Nitori of Japan and Ashley from the USA. Also the big players in the online commerce sector - among them Amazon, the Otto Group and Wayfair - took advantage of the contest for their businesses. For the Pure sector, the imm cologne has visited a delegation of 80 furniture and decoration design-oriented companies from the US and Canada, including Luminaire of Miami and DDC of New York. “There is no better proof that our successful full VIP program and imm cologne, also in the ‘no-cook years’, is an excellent business platform,” said Katharina C. Hamma, CEO of Koelnmesse.

Das Haus 2018 - Lucie Koldova, Halle 2.2, Pure Edition | imm cologne 2018

Das Haus 2018 - Lucie Koldova, Halle 2.2, Pure Edition | imm cologne 2018

New topics that have especially interested visitors

Along with the exhibited products, one of the most admired attractions of the fair was once again “Das Haus“, the simulation of a passable house that this year has been configured by Lucie Koldova. Here, lighting is the protagonist. The lighting and the bathroom have been this year, together with the “smart house” the focal themes that were shown with special intensity in the Pure Architects concepts room. As a 360 degree fair, the imm cologne has dedicated itself to three important themes for the future that are becoming increasingly important in the world of furniture and decoration.

Das Haus 2018 - Lucie Koldova, Halle 2.2, Pure Edition | imm cologne 2018

Das Haus 2018 - Lucie Koldova, Halle 2.2, Pure Edition | imm cologne 2018

Das Haus 2018 - Lucie Koldova, Halle 2.2, Pure Edition | imm cologne 2018

DEU, Köln/Cologne, Koelnmesse, imm cologne 2018. Designer of “Das Haus 2018” Lucie Koldova. imm cologne 2018.

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