imm cologne

At the heart of the market and strong in design

Together with Heimtextil and Domotex, imm cologne is one of the large international furniture and interior design
fairs to chime in the new year. As tradition has it, imm
will once again set the stage for the latest collections of
some 1,000 exhibitors from around 50 countries from
the furniture and interior design sector in mid-January.

With a total of around 250,000 square metres of exhibition
space, imm is the second largest furniture fair in Europe,
just after Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan. Furniture
is the core focus of the fair, however, the growing
number of other areas of interior design such as rugs
or mattresses and sleeping systems clearly demonstrate
that imm is truly developing into an interior design fair.
In fact, the subheading has read: ‘The international interior
design fair’ for a number of years now.


imm cologne;Constantin Meyer - Trend theme Rehab 

At the heart of the strongest interior design market in Europe
Not only is Germany Europe’s largest interior design
market, but as of the end of 2009 it has also managed
to become the largest market with a relatively
high degree of confidence among consumers. The EU’s
periodically assessed ‘Consumer Confidence’ indicator,
a tool used to reflect consumer buying tendencies, revealed
that as of the end of 2009 Germany is almost
40 indicator points ahead of the next largest markets
of Spain and Italy. In this regard, the German furniture
and interior design market is particularly attractive in
2010.
The appeal of the German market is also reflected by
the international structure of the exhibitors at imm
cologne: around two-thirds of the fair’s exhibitors are
from abroad, particularly from Europe. Exhibitors predominantly hail from countries such as Italy, Denmark,
Belgium and the Netherlands. However, several Asian
countries, particularly from China, Malaysia and India
are also showcasing their products.
imm cologne is also an important platform for the export
business, especially to our neighbouring countries. Around
70% of the some 70,000 trade visitors come from Germany
and around 30% from abroad, in particular from
Austria, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland.

Current furnishing trends and forecasts
imm cologne has served as a catalyst for creativity and
design for the furnishing sector for quite some time
now. For many years, the ‘Ideal House’ installations
of internationally renowned designers and architects
have shaped the creative dimension of imm cologne. For
six years now, imm cologne has been publishing a trend
forecast in autumn on the most important developments
in interior design. These interior trends are developed by
a team of 5 – 6 influential designers, architects, material
specialists and industry journalists. The result is the Trendbook, in which for 2010, for example four basic trends
are developed and extensively documented. With the
Trendbook, imm cologne provides a professional trend
report to the retail sector as well as producers, interior
designers and designers, which gives creative impulses
for product development and product range design.

imm cologne;Constantin Meyer - Trend theme Trickery

In addition, the interior trends are also presented as
trend installations at imm cologne. In 2010 Johanna
Graurender, Cecilie Manz, Bertjan Pot and Giulio Ridolfo,
all members of the Trend Board, will each be designing
a trend theme in Hall 3.2.

Tour of the fair
imm is divided into nine exhibition areas according to
their sales channels, design genre and furniture function
(see hall plan as pdf download):
(1) ‘pure’ – modern, upscale interior design, complete
living philosophies, furnishing accessories (specialist
product ranges)
(2) ‘pure village’ – creative, upscale interior design
concepts within a specially orchestrated exhibition
architecture: furniture, lighting, textiles,
accessories and bathroom design
(3) ‘design talents’ – exhibition for young design
(4) ‘prime’ – modern living room and bedroom furniture,
period and reproduction furniture, children’s furniture,
furnishing accessories (specialist product ranges)
of various genres, tables, chairs, dining rooms
(5) ‘comfort’ – upholstered furniture suites, armchairs,
divans, single sofas, sofa beds
(6) ‘sleep’ – mattresses and sleeping systems,
beds, waterbeds
(7) ‘solid’ – natural and solid wood furniture
(8) ‘smart’ – young lifestyle, self-assembly furniture,
bedroom furnishings, furnishing accessories
(specialist product ranges)
(9) ‘basic’ – international basics, living room
and bedroom furniture

‘Pure Village’ – Bringing products and people together
One of imm’s highly promising innovations is the ‘pure
village’. pure village offers a new exhibition form that
brings products and people together in an entirely unorthodox
manner.
First, the hall layout resembles a village, with a
town centre, alcoves and alleys of various lengths
and widths. This is very much in contrast to the
traditional grid-like structures commonly used for
hall layouts. Fairgoers are thus motivated to explore
the alleys of the village and discover the neighbourhoods.
Imm Cologne
The architecture of the stands, i.e. the ‘houses’ in the
village, are predefined and each different, i.e. there
are no standard stands. Renowned designer brands
from the areas of furniture, textiles, lighting and bathroom
design will present their exclusive design objects
or complete creative interior design worlds in these
‘houses’. The aim of pure village is to provide a platform
where interior design worlds are combined with
trend-setting ideas and product solutions from all areas
relevant to furnishing and interior decorating. The
open structures and neighbourhoods enable surprising
combinations of products, designs and suppliers,
which turn the fairgoer’s visit into a true exploration.
In this sense, this very important pilot test may very
well turn the imm into an exceptionally inspiring, integrated
furnishing fair. Up until now, companies such as
Arco, Desalto, Kvadrat, Matteo Grassi, Modular Lighting
and Nya Nordiska have already registered for the
pure village.

imm cologne;Constantin Meyer - Trend Theme Comfort Zone

Promoting innovations
The presentation of new products and innovations by
exhibitors is one of the most important functions of a
trade fair. imm promotes innovations with its Interior Innovation
Award and the Boulevard of Innovation, which
showcases the most important innovations that can be
seen at imm along the fair’s Northern Boulevard.
The Interior Innovation Award is awarded to exceptional
innovations in the following categories: best item, best
system, best detail, material innovation and classic innovation.
The award-winning work of internationally
renowned design experts are also shown along the
Boulevard of Innovations.

Sleep – comprehensive competence
for healthy sleep in one hall
For a number of years, imm has been providing the
world’s most comprehensive offering of mattresses and
sleeping systems. The concepts predominantly focus
on the sleeping habits of Europe, particularly those of
German-speaking countries. Mattresses and sleeping
systems as a basis for healthy sleep offer a comprehensive
and competent offering for bedroom retailers and
the entire bedroom industry in the ‘Sleep Hall’. Bedding
and bed linens, however, are only peripheral products
at imm.

Public Days provide additional marketing dimensions
No other German furnishing fair has been able to mobilise
private consumers for furniture and interior design
products without causing any friction between trade
visitors and exhibitors as well as imm. For years now, the
fair has been open to the general public on the weekend
– a service that is readily used by some 25,000 visitors.
imm is a great opportunity for interested private
individuals to find out about the very latest product developments
and trends in interior decorating. In turn,
the exhibitors benefit from considerably higher media
frequency for their products and trends, from the opportunity
to further establish their brands with consumers
and from promoting sales with their regional retail
partners.

Design outside of the fair
Design outside of the fair: in January, Cologne becomes
the European design hotspot. Presentations of the best
furniture and interior design by renowned producers
and designers will also be held outside the halls of the
trade fair. These are the important venues: Design Post,
The Museum of Applied Art, Kap Forum, Spichernhöfe,
Poliform, Natuzzi, Kartell, Bulthaupt.

Base: Living XL Special Edition 1/2010

Back to Focus Interior Design Fairs
Report  imm cologne 2010 (in German)
Report imm cologne 2008 
Download imm cologne in a nutshell