COLOGNE, GERMANY -- Three trade fairs, three topics, one destination: next year Cologne will once again be the central meeting place for the world’s furniture industry. It will be the focus of the three trade fairs imm cologne, LivingKitchen and interzum. As the world’s leading trade fair for furniture production and interior fittings, interzum will once again offer international visitors a unique, wide-ranging market overview of material and design trends with halls at full capacity. A varied supporting program together with three piazzas with various themes ensure that interzum will continue to be the source of inspiration for product developers, designers and architects.

The interzum trade fair will also again set the standards in 2013 as the world’s largest trade fair for materials to manufacture furniture and interior fittings. The focus will be on new products and ideas in particular because manufacturers have to a large extent aligned their development programmes with the two-year cycle of interzum.

Unusually 2013 is the next date because for the first time the trade fair will take place after Ligna in Hanover, which is traditionally held over Ascension Day. This is so that visitors and in particular those from abroad can easily combine both events. interzum is starting on a Monday and finishing on a Thursday for the 2013 event.

The supporting program is especially varied for this forthcoming event: for the seventh time the competition for the "interzum award: intelligent material & design“ will show which position the supply industry occupies in the development of contemporary designs.

Awards will be given to innovative products, which combine above-average functionality with a high level of quality. In order to support the development of the next generation, the young designer award will be presented by the Association of German Industrial Designers (Verband der Deutschen Industriedesigner). In addition to the coveted awards, the interior designer day organised by the Architects’ Chamber of North Rhine-Westphalia will take place once again. The Veneer and Nature Initiative will be organising the firmly established European Veneer Forum together with the Association of the German Timber Trade (Gesamtver­band Deutscher Holzhandel) and Koelnmesse. An innovation workshop for wood-based products is planned together with the Association of the German Wood-based Panel Industries (VHI).

The three central piazzas within the halls will ensure that more detailed information is available: the piazza in Hall 6, in product segment Materials & Nature, will focus on the latest trends and product developments from the sectors of decorative surfaces, wood-based products and veneers or solid wood. In Hall 4.2 interzum will once again underline its creative potential and showcase new applications by architects, designers and developers at the special exhibition entitled “innovation of interior”. The forum for innovative ideas from the upholstery, beds and textiles industry will take place in Hall 10 (Textile & Machinery).

There are already signs of a high level of registrations for interzum 2013 at such an early stage. By September 2012 registrations had already been received from 690 companies. This corresponds to an increase of about eight per cent compared with the same period in 2010. Approximately 60 per cent of companies are foreign with the largest number of exhibitors coming from Italy, closely followed by Turkey and Spain. In addition, there will be group participants from Italy, Turkey and the USA. This is why Halls 6 (Materials & Nature), 7 and 8 (Function & Components) as well as 9 (Textile & Machinery) are already fully booked. Koelnmesse is expecting over 1,450 exhibitors at interzum in 2013.

Anyone who would like further advance information on interzum can find this during Orgatec - world's leading trade fair for office and facility – from Oct. 23 - 27, 2012. The interzum trade fair team will present the concept and the latest news about the forthcoming event there in Hall 8.1 on Stand A-068.

The next interzum will take place from: May 13 – 16, 2013. Further information is available from interzum.com.

Source: Koelnmesse