Pre-show IMM Cologne 2025

Heading North

Who does not know Copenhagen, the charming capital of welcoming Denmark, with its famous little mermaid, its delightful colorful houses, its Tivoly gardens and its famous amusement park that inspired the great Disney to build his own. There are plenty of opportunities to visit the city and tourists come in ever greater numbers, attracted in the summer by the climate that allows them to escape the summer heatwaves. However, these are not extended vacations that Koelnmesse invited the press to an international conference, far from it. Indeed, the famous organizers of world-renowned trade fairs had a lot to tell us.

First of all, it must be emphasized, because it is a first. Our German friends have killed two birds with one stone. Indeed, they took advantage of these days to present two exhibitions simultaneously. That raises questions. However, this had a completely rational explanation, and it is therefore not by chance that we were brought together in this unprecedented way, and even less for any reasons of budgetary savings, far from it. Koelnmesse knows how to host and has proven it again during this stay. The reason lies in the specificity of the fairs that will be held for the first time, in this case IMM Cologne, from January 12 to 16, 2025, and from October 22 to 25 for the second, namely Orgatec. Indeed, there is indeed a bridge between the two events, since they deal with the furnishing of our living spaces in our homes, and in our daily lives in our professional environment, our offices and their layout. However, not everything is as divided these days with the advent of a phenomenon that has shaken the planet, in all areas and in particular our relationship to our ways of operating in our houses and apartments, and the professional lives of everyone. What we can call without emphasis Tsunami, is called COVID. This virus has hit the world with the incalculable consequences that we know. It has taken everything away and in particular our approach to work. Thus appeared, what seemed unthinkable before the epidemic, the famous telework. So much so that company premises have had to adapt their spaces, their decoration to this unknown situation. But what about what happened in millions of homes, where employees were forced, for the most part, to stay at home and set up real office spaces. This marginal lifestyle was mainly reserved for the liberal or artistic professions, before the wave of lockdowns of all kinds arrived. In this unknown world, from which no one could see the outcome, companies and employees, mainly in the tertiary sector, had to adapt. A major movement never seen before, was set in motion, which forced everyone to question all their principles and habits in their relationship with the business world. However, everyone got used to it much more quickly than one could have imagined, and this new situation settled in without major problems, much more quickly in people's minds. Now, teleworking is definitely established in the business world, but it is not without consequences.

Change everything at home

If there is one change that teleworking has imposed, it is in our private interiors but also in company premises. Spending an entire day at home, often with adequate computer equipment, has forced us to arrange our homes and install workspaces and rethink the layout. Beyond the comfort of our sofas, our bedrooms, our living rooms, the presence of suitable offices, whether in terms of practicality or design, has become essential. This is how a new living space has been invited or a mix of design, functionality and comfort has been imposed. Companies have also had to rethink the surfaces of offices and premises, rationalizing them as much as possible. It goes without saying that all this is set to last. Teleworking has become an almost irreversible phenomenon, despite some attempts to return to the pre-Covid years.

IMM Cologne, right on trend

It goes without saying that the IMM show which will be held from January 12 to 16, will take this into account and the offer that will be able to propose spaces dedicated to office automation without sacrificing aesthetics will attract all the attention. However, it will have to meet very specific criteria, combining comfort and specific design integrating functionality. The consumer will undoubtedly be attracted by sobriety, involving natural colors and materials, and especially robustness. In this state of mind, there is a country that knows how to remarkably integrate these parameters, and not only in the field of office automation. It is Denmark, one of the undisputed champions of creation in this specific style, very much in tune with the times. This is why the Country will be the partner of the 2025 edition. This is a first that will be illustrated by a pavilion of 20 exhibitors. A more than judicious choice, knowing that our Danish friends fit perfectly with a global offer where sustainability, recycling, environmental respect will be the unifying themes of a show where these values ​​will weigh very heavily in the years to come. In this ultra-sensitive field, our German and Danish friends are at the forefront, and the organizers could not find a better partner.
For the rest, visitors will find what has always made the show a success, namely an offer that covers all sectors of home improvement from small furniture to bedding. As always, quality will be omnipresent, even more so this coming year when the show aims more than ever to be the benchmark meeting place for professionals in the sector in Europe, both for exhibitors and visitors. The Covid turbulence that severely affected the major Cologne event is now a thing of the past.IMM 2025 is therefore ready for a high-level edition, essential for those involved in the furniture industry.

Dernière Minute

Coup de tonnerre à Cologne

Le communiqué des organisateurs vient de nous parvenir, l’édition 2025 d’IMM est annulée en raison des difficultés que traverse l’industrie nationale du meuble.
En espérant des jours meilleurs pour 2026, Il ne faut cependant pas oublier qu’ORGATEC se porte très bien et se tiendra aux dates prévues.

Orgatec, also under the Danish banner

Orgatec which will be held from October 22 to 25 is a must in its sector and we mentioned above the bridges with IMM, both office furniture, its comfort, its layout have taken on considerable importance. Beyond functionality and ergonomics, design concepts intersect, hence the Danish signature in this edition via cooperation with a specialized office called Mälbar, very efficient in this area, and the alliance Danish Design Makers with a new project called #blindDate. We explain everything to you:

#BlindDate, a first

This year, ORGATEC presents the #BlindDate project in collaboration with the Danish Design Makers (DDM) alliance and consultancy Målbar. The aim of this unique design challenge is to foster creative processes without preconceived ideas and to put sustainability at the forefront of design.

A “blind date” – but with a potential business partner rather than a romantic partner. That’s the concept of the project #BlindDate in show ORGATEC 2024, which aims to bring together companies and creative talent in an unusual way. Twenty design brands from all over Europe were invited to submit anonymised briefs on the theme of “reduction”. A random draw was held to assign each of the tasks to designers whose identities were also concealed. The creative minds had six months to develop a prototype based on the brief. On 22 October 2024 at 4pm, the opening day of the fair ORGATEC, The finished projects will be presented in the pavilion #BlindDate of Hall 4.2 of the Cologne Exhibition Centre and the identity of the competition participants will be revealed. The special feature of the competition is that all participants will remain anonymous throughout the process. This innovative approach eliminates preconceived ideas and prejudices of companies and designers, ensuring that the focus is solely on the form and functionality of the designs.

Sustainability, a major objective

The design challenge focuses on current issues facing the interior design industry: excessive use of resources, increasing carbon emissions and the continuing trend towards rising consumption levels. This is precisely where the project #BlindDate intervenes, making “reduction” in relation to resource efficiency, renewable energy, environmental protection, circular economy, behavioral change and innovation the central theme of the design challenge. The aim is to develop sustainable solutions for the future and to innovate in design.

Danish design creators

Throughout the process, participating designers will benefit from the support of Danish Design Makers, alliance of renowned designers with strong ties to Danish design culture. Through collaborative workshops and creative processes and the expertise of specialists, the aim is to develop new ideas that minimise the use of resources.

Målbar: Serving the environment

Danish consultancy Målbar, founded in 2020, has created a digital tool that complies with new European standards to measure the environmental impact of products over their entire life cycle. It uses these results to produce detailed overviews of entire product portfolios and value chains. These reports can then be used to assess companies’ sustainability strategies and targets based on real data.

These are two events that will give a central place to environmental problems. To this end, the very advanced Danish presence will provide an obvious plus. However, this will not prevent Imm and Orgatec, to be at the forefront of novelty and innovation, without forgetting the internationalization of the offer, as will be able to demonstrate Koelnmesse, lors de ces rendez vous

IMM 2025 : 12/16 January 2025
ORGATEC 2024 : 22/25 October 2024
COLOGNE Exhibition Center