The latest information on the trade fair’s response to the coronavirus crisis

Currently the dates of ORGATEC are fixed in the Cologne event calendar from 27 to 31 October 2020. However, new measures are being adopted almost daily in Germany, and this is also affecting the specifications and recommendations of the authorities for hosting trade fairs. If, contrary to current expectations, ORGATEC should have to be postponed or cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, exhibitors that do not wish to participate on the alternative dates will receive a refund of payments that they have made to Koelnmesse. We will take all decisions concerning whether or not to host the event as early as possible and will naturally inform all those involved immediately.

The world of work is changing more than ever before in the light of the current situation. The motto for this year’s trade fair – “Variety of Work” – is already being practised in very diverse forms in many workplaces. In this context, the leading international trade fair for the modern working world has an even more important role to play as an engine and source of inspiration for the industry. We are now seeing the immense challenges facing modern work environments. Koelnmesse is keeping a close eye on current developments as it presses ahead with preparations for a successful ORGATEC 2020 in seven months’ time. The current level of registrations is excellent, and interest in the trade fair is increasing even further as a result of recent developments. A preliminary list of the registered exhibitors can be found at www.orgatec.com.

In 2020, ORGATEC will once again provide crucial inspiration for the design of modern work environments for the present day and the near and long-term future with a wide spectrum of accompanying events. To complement the event’s motto, “Variety of Work”, ORGATEC will host inspiring events, workshops, panels and talks, and stage best practice installations on themes such as the agile office and hospitality in collaboration with leading partners from research and the media as well as trade associations and its commercial partners.

New: ORGATEC Architects Summit 2020

Together with Frame and other partners, ORGATEC is also organising the debut ORGATEC Architects Summit. The congress for architects will address a range of issues for the profession and the real estate industry throughout the entire trade fair. The topics on the agenda include digitalisation, acoustics, sustainability, lighting, offices in “public spaces” and best practice examples of special solutions. The organisers have sought out a variety of expert media partners, who will use their particular strengths to host talks, workshops and discussion rounds tailored to specific target groups. The full programme for the ORGATEC Architects Summit will be announced shortly.

NEW: light architecture congress at ORGATEC 2020

Alongside these events, there will be a congress on light architecture entitled Healthy Light in the Workplace (Gesundes Licht am Arbeitsplatz). The Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP will host the People in Spaces (Menschen in Räumen) symposium, which will take a broad approach to addressing the particular challenges relating to spatial acoustics and other influences affecting people.

New: #inspired hospitality

In the southern halls on the trade fair grounds, ORGATEC will invite international trade visitors to explore the #inspired hospitality experience area in October. This dedicated area will focus on the blurring boundaries between public and private spaces, and between work in the office, at home and on the go. If hotels are to turn their lobbies into temporary workplaces and companies want to open up their co-working spaces to start-ups, suitable infrastructure is required. Offering an insight into the technologies and design examples, this area will transform “Variety of Work” into a tangible experience with practical relevance for trade fair visitors.

Robot-led tour of five working environments

The Variety of Work Boulevard by Leap in Time is set to be especially stimulating. On the Boulevard North, ORGATEC will partner with Professor Ruth Stock-Homburg from the Leap in Time Institute at the TU Darmstadt to showcase a special implementation of the trade fair’s motto, “Variety of Work”, based on the findings from her studies. Leap in Time will allow international trade visitors to experience various working environments in a special form, including the chance to take a robot-led tour of the modules. Studies by the Leap in Time work-life research centre have shown that people in the future will use more than just one work environment – they will work in a number of very different constellations. Five different types of work environment have crystallised from this research, and they will all be on show on the Boulevard North at ORGATEC: Activity-based Working, Work & Play, Smart Living & Working, Everywhere & Everytime and finally Recreation.

These are just some of the trade fair’s offerings that will address the specific problems and issues facing different target groups. The whole event will be an interdisciplinary innovation theme park designed to encourage the audience to take inspiration from widely different disciplines and to come up with new creative solutions.

The latest information on the trade fair’s response to the coronavirus crisis

Currently the dates of ORGATEC are fixed in the Cologne event calendar from 27 to 31 October 2020. However, new measures are being adopted almost daily in Germany, and this is also affecting the specifications and recommendations of the authorities for hosting trade fairs. If, contrary to current expectations, ORGATEC should have to be postponed or cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, exhibitors that do not wish to participate on the alternative dates will receive a refund of payments that they have made to Koelnmesse. We will take all decisions concerning whether or not to host the event as early as possible and will naturally inform all those involved immediately.

Koelnmesse – Global Competence in Furniture, Interiors and Design: Koelnmesse is the world’s top trade fair organiser for the areas of furnishing, living and lifestyle. At the trade fair hub of Cologne, the leading international fair imm cologne as well as the trade fair formats of LivingKitchen, ORGATEC, spoga+gafa, interzum and Kind + Jugend rank among the internationally renowned and established industry meeting places. These fairs comprehensively represent the upholstered and case furniture segment, the kitchen industry, the office furniture sector and outdoor living as well as the innovations of the furniture supply industry. Over the last few years, Koelnmesse has specifically added international fairs in the most important fast-expanding markets to its portfolio. These include idd Shanghai, interzum bogotá in Bogotá, interzum guangzhou in Guangzhou and Pueri Expo in Sao Paulo. With ambista, the online portal for the interiors business, Koelnmesse offers direct access to products, contacts, expertise and events relevant to the industry all year round.