3rd decade: 1944 to 1953 – Reconstruction

The war was followed by a period of rapid reconstruction. The first postwar exhibitions and trade fairs were held as early as 1947. A total of 52,000 m² of hall area had been rebuilt by 1950. Koelnmesse's administrators recognized early on the trend toward specialization in the trade fair industry, and they proceeded to focus on specialized trade fairs such as photokina, Anuga, the Cologne furniture fair, and the specialized office show for Western Germany (the predecessor of ORGATEC). The company's first subsidiary abroad was opened in London in 1950.