Confex: a mix of conference and exhibition centre

Nature, events and community – these are the three main fields of action for Koelnmesse’s sustainability activities, which it will realise holistically. All measures and ideas have the aim of becoming a marketplace that makes maximum resource conservation possible during trade fair operations.

“It is a challenge. However, we are approaching this situation with vigour and have a clear goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2035”, says Gerald Böse, President and Chief Executive Officer. “To do this, we must reduce CO2 emissions, save resources and convert to renewable energies”, adds Böse, specifying the key objectives at hand. The United Nations’ sustainable development goals (SDG) serve as a framework for these and numerous other activities at Koelnmesse and are the basis for Koelnmesse’s future sustainability strategy.

interzum 2023: The industry is celebrating its world's leading trade fair

The interzum in Cologne ended on Friday, May 12, 2023 with an extremely good result. With around 62,000 trade visitors from around 150 countries, the world's leading trade fair for furniture suppliers and interior design exceeded all forecasts and ensured an excellent atmosphere at the stands and numerous event areas for four days.

Koelnmesse targets more dynamic expansion of its portfolio in India with wholly-owned subsidiary

Koelnmesse YA Tradefair Pvt. Ltd, Koelnmesse's subsidiary in India, became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Cologne-based company at the beginning of 2023, when Koelnmesse GmbH took over the 25 per cent of the shares last held by the external shareholder Ashwani Pande. Immediately afterwards, the company was renamed "Koelnmesse Pvt. Ltd.”.

Study on the future of trade fairs

What will the future of trade fairs be like? What goals do exhibitors pursue when participating in a trade fair? And how can trade fair teams best help their exhibitors to optimise their trade fair experience? Koelnmesse addressed these and other questions about the future of trade fairs in an academic study in partnership with the University of Münster. The results show that exhibitors still want the physical trade fair format.

Koelnmesse 2022: despite difficult times, full programme

Koelnmesse ultimately managed to achieve a successful re-start. "We expect turnover of around 237 million euro for the fiscal year and have made significant gains compared to the previous year," says Koelnmesse President and Chief Executive Officer, Gerald Böse. "Although almost none of the trade fairs have returned to their pre-Covid-19 size, the upward trend shows that we are on track to regaining our former strength."

A career at Koelnmesse

Help us impress! As an employer, Koelnmesse offers you a wide range of opportunities.

Trade fair halls and exhibition center

Koelnmesse's exhibition halls are centrally located in Cologne's city centre, right at the heart of Europe's largest economic region.

Confex – the new multi-talent

Flexibility, attractiveness and eventization are the emerging requirements for innovative event formats. The fusion of conference and exhibition, the staging of topics through a more compelling variety of experiences, the digital presentation of hybrid trade fairs through the use of sophisticated media technology and modern IT infrastructure: That is what Confex is all about!

Koelncongress: C the Future

Under the motto "One face to the customer", Koelncongress as an innovative full-service division will in future contribute its strengths under a new name. The wholly owned subsidiary Koelncongress GmbH presents itself as an organization with creative, strong concepts and solutions. It stands for innovative and successful future trade fairs, conferences and events.

At Koelnmesse we are closely following current developments in Ukraine, as the people of all nations around the world. The Russian attack stands in absolute opposition to our own values. As a trade fair organiser, we stand wholeheartedly for peaceful coexistence and free trade around the world.

The war has caused tremendous uncertainty and commotion regarding unrestricted service provision, monetary transactions and passenger transport between Russia, Belarus and Europe or Germany in particular. We are therefore initially suspending the participation of Russian and Belarusian exhibitors on our physical and digital platforms until further notice. However, we remain in contact with our partners in Russia, some of whom have been with us for many years and who unfortunately cannot attend our trade fairs now in Cologne. We are certain they have also been surprised by the decision to engage in war.

At Koelnmesse, we are particularly happy that everyone in our sales team in Kiev is doing well under the circumstances.