In mid-December, Koelnmesse extended the period of abstention from holding its own events - originally announced at the end of November and initially to apply until the end of February - by another month. Two of the three trade fairs planned for March 2021 have been postponed to dates in autumn 2021 and spring 2022. The other trade fair is to take place on the dates scheduled, but in digital format; the next regular event is planned for mid-March 2022. This new extension means there will have been no major event held at the Cologne exhibition premises for over a year, following the cancellation of first events in March 2020.
Koelnmesse has not yet taken a decision concerning organisation of the trade fairs scheduled for the second quarter, which include the Interzum furniture supplier fair planned for 4 to 7 May. According to Koelnmesse managing director Oliver Frese, bookings for the physical trade fair event have recently remained relatively stable. Furthermore, there are indications of strong participation in interzum@home, the supplementary digital event developed and offered by Koelnmesse. According to Frese, Koelnmesse will make a decision as to whether a physical trade fair will be held approximately three months prior to the scheduled starting date of each event. A final decision on Interzum should therefore be taken within the next three to four weeks.
