Cologne due for facelift in 2006
By Powell Slaughter -- Furniture Today, January 30, 2005
Cologne, Germany — The Cologne International Furniture Fair is in for major changes for its next edition in January 2006, with new construction, reconfigured halls and service areas, and dramatic entrances.
The market's venue, the trade-show facility Koelnmesse, will have roughly the same amount of exhibition space — just over 3 million square feet — but the facility's oldest section, housing halls one through three, will be demolished and/or renovated to make way for a new production facility for Cologne-based KRL, Germany's largest television production company.
In addition, current halls five through eight, which form a crescent just north of what will become the KRL facility, will be converted to house design-oriented, avant-garde special events.
To ensure adequate space for events like the Cologne fair, Koelnmesse has begun construction of four new exhibition buildings. The reconfigured facility is set for completion in time for next year's furniture show, according to organizers.
"While there will be some moving around of exhibitors and category areas, the resulting facility will have the same space, and will accommodate all exhibitors," said Markus Majerus, Koelnmesse press officer. "We'll also look to the new special events center to add some exciting, very design-intensive exhibitions and events."
A grand boulevard will lead into the new areas, located north of what are now buildings nine and 14. A new Congress Center for hosting business meetings, seminars and other events also is on tap.
When complete, the new Koelnmesse will offer intercity express train connections to four international airports via an adjacent train station.
Koelnmesse said it will work with exhibitors during the transition in order to ease the planning, implementation and construction stages of setting up for the fair.
