IMM Cologne, the time-honoured furniture exhibition fair and the direct competitor of the Milan Furniture Fair, will be back in 2023 after a two-year hiatus at a new time of year and with a revamped format.
The Spring Edition, as it is now called, will be held from 4 to 7 June 2023, just forty days after the end of the Italian event, and has been announced with a new set-up agreed upon in concert with German market players.
The declared aim is to adapt to the challenges of a rapidly changing market and to organise a “substantial furniture fair in Germany, Europe’s strongest market in terms of turnover”. Clearly, the gauntlet has been thrown down to their major Milanese competitor.
“I firmly believe the personal exchange is of immense importance for the development of the sector, in these difficult times more than ever. Germany needs a real platform with a strong international communication reach, just like IMM Cologne”, declared Gerald Böse, President and Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse.
More in detail, the “New Story” as the organisers are calling it, will take place in two stages. The first will consist of a revamped version of a four-day event, from Sunday to Wednesday, that used to take place in January open trade visitors and to consumers by invitation only.
The 2023 edition will expand to include kitchen furniture and feature a greater involvement of sites across the city with an exciting programme of events, that appears inspired by the Fuori Salone in Millan.
The second stage is scheduled for the summer when the future dates of IMM Cologne and LivingKitchen will be set in agreement with the industry and trade associations.
(Images source: www.imm-cologne.com)