The Future of Work is On Display at Orgatec

Imagine its 1953 and you are attending the first Orgatec, the biennial trade fair held in Cologne, Germany. Visitors to the event probably found simple task and side chairs, desks and lighting products — the same tools designers have had at their disposal since the birth of the modern office. Throughout Orgatec’s history, that product mix hasn’t changed much. Though designs and styles changed over the years, that common set of work tools remained much the same.

Vistors to Orgatec 2024, which wrapped up last week, found themselves in a different world. Yes, you can still find task chairs, lighting and desks sprinkled throughout the massive Koelnmesse halls, but they are getting increasingly rare among the soft seating and ancillary products that have taken over the work world.

Not that anyone was complaining. After all, Orgatec remains one of the most important and inspirational events for the design world. The pandemic beat down the fair, which was canceled completely in 2020 and was still anemic in 2022, but it has come roaring back in 2024. The seven halls that make up the event were packed with visitors from around the world who were hoping to be inspired to take the thousands of products on display and use them to create the future of work.

Orgatec is a biennial furniture show held in Cologne, Germany. It is an important event for discovering trends that will affect design around the world. Photos by officeinsight

Orgatec has always provided a glimpse of the future as designs and trends from Europe tend to percolate before making their way to North America. The products on display from the 686 exhibitors across more than 1.5 million square feet of exhibition space will literally become the office of the future, first in Europe, then around the world.

It is also an event with cutting-edge design, including the stands themselves. Interstuhl, one of the largest German seating makers, created what was the most high-tech, interactive trade fair stands we’ve ever seen. Attendees had the opportunity to stand in front of a full-height interactive screen, where they were scanned. The app then displayed a virtual picture of the person and analyzed the colors they were wearing. Interstuhl staffers then helped the visitors pick a chair from the company’s collection and the app displayed the chair in a matching color. It didn’t end there. Attendees could move from station to station, learning how to plan space using virtual reality. There was more technology on the stand than furniture, which could point to trade fairs in the future.

Emerging trends could be found in just about every hall. Here are a few that we noted:

Rich, warm colors abound — Remember how in your box of Crayola Crayons, burnt sienna was the color that never seemed to be used? No more. Deep brownish reds could be found on many of the stands, along with subdued yellow hues and light pastels.

Many attend Orgatec to learn about the latest color trends coming from Europe. Based on what we discovered, deep, rich colors and soft pastels are coming to offices in the future.

Outdoors moving indoors and indoors moving out — Orgatec was home to a number of outdoor furniture makers, who stressed that the products aren’t just for casual use, but for work as well. European outdoor furniture companies like Exemplis and DEDON showed products that could be used for corporate or comfort while products that allow plants to be part of office design made by companies like BuzziSpace and entire self-watering plant systems from Hobby Flower were on display.

Plants and biophilic products were an important part of the event. There were products to help bring greenery into the office and products designed to bring the office into outdoor spaces.

At Orgatec, stand design matters — For designers used to walking around permanent showrooms at NeoCon, Fulton Market and other U.S.-based trade fairs, attending Orgatec can comes as a shock. Most companies showing at Orgatec take great care and a great amount of pride, designing elaborate stands. We were wowed by Dauphin’s stand called WonderWorld, which used thin metal chains to create the outside structure of the stand with blue lights shining on them to create a blue box, perfect for the undersea fantasy world they created within. We also loved Mizetto’s tent-like structures, Fermob’s pastels, Palmberg’s flowing waves of silk fabric, Pedrali’s exhibition-like vignettes and Brunner’s classic, stunning stand design.

Stand design at Orgatec is often as important as the products inside. Brands spend a lot of time (and money) creating fantastic stands, which often include hospitality areas with food and drink.

Round, soft corners — Not only were the colors soft, the furniture was as well. The angular, harsh lines of office furniture past has made way for rounded sofas and chairs. It was hard to find a straight edge on a product at Orgatec.

Soft seating and ancillary products were everywhere at Orgatec. Almost all the future featured curved lines and organic shapes.

Event marked by those who attended and those who didn’t — Very few North American companies show at Orgatec, which the exception of Haworth, Fellowes, Special T, Interface and Humanscale. So we were concerned when we heard important European companies like Vitra, Unifor and Andreu World would not be showing at this year’s Orgatec. While they were missed, fair-goers had plenty to see, even without those major design brands. North American majors like Steelcase and MillerKnoll haven’t been part of Orgatec for years, but MillerKnoll brands like Muuto did have stands. And while North American manufacturers weren’t there in full force, executive teams from many companies were, using the fair to scope out trends and meet with European-based designers. We ran into many familiar faces like the executive team at Davis Furniture — Danny Davis, Jeffrey Rosner and Rob Easton. We also spoke to Mike Keilhauer, KI CEO Brian Krenke and Arcadia’s President Casey Journigan and Vice President of Marketing Helen Kim, to name just a few. Many of the North American executives attended a party hosted by Dutch brand Arco and its Commercial Director and Owner Floor van Ast and Pencilbox’s Martin Flaherty in the nearby Design Post. Design Post is an area not formally associated with Orgatec, but adjacent to it (think Fulton Market to NeoCon).

Very few North American companies exhibit at Orgatec. Fellowes was one and drew large crowds on its stand that focused on ergonomic and air purification products. Still, the event brought many industry executives to Germany to meet with designers and spot new trends.

Lockers are the new phone booths — There’s still a lot of phone booths at Orgatec and all the major manufacturers like Framery, Hush and Silen had stands. But if one product stood out at Orgatec, it was the locker. Hybrid work and hot desking has created the need for more locker storage that can be secured when employees are not in the office. Belgian furniture maker Pami is working with Ricoh, a name made famous for its copy machines, to create smart, high-tech lockers that can be opened with the swipe of a keycard.

Asia was at Orgatec in force — It used to be rare for Asian furniture makers to have stands at Orgatec, and when they did, they were often in the back of some of the less desirable halls. There were still a few Asian manufacturers on the main show floors, but most were relegated to hall 10.2, which sadly wasn’t even listed in the main show guide. The Chinese and Korean manufacturers were joined by a few Indian office furniture makers as well, such as Bonton and Edu Furnitures.

Orgatec has always been a show where concepts are front and center. Different than NeoCon, where concepts are hidden behind closed doors and only accessible to certain invited attendees, many Orgatec exhibitors show off products that they are thinking of producing. Exemplis, the Belgian outdoor furniture maker showed off Panigiri, a table that started off as a residential piece that the company adapted for the commercial market. Valerie Vermeire, who handles business development for the company, which has a strong presence in North America, said they were seeking feedback from the design community on the product, which may or may not be produced.

Beautiful design could be found on every aisle at Orgatec.

Other companies at Orgatec are trying to break into the office furniture industry from adjacent sectors. One was Vastarredo, an Italian educational furniture maker founded in 1956 that adapted some of its school products for office use. Export Sales Manager Nicola Mosca said the company wanted to gauge the reaction of the design community to its office offerings.

Many products are launched at Orgatec — the most famous being the Aeron Chair when it was first unveiled. Other exhibitors were showing products for the first time to the European market.

That was the case for Humanscale, one of the few North American companies to show at Orgatec. Humanscale was exhibiting the Diffrient Lounge Chair, which was also at its Chicago showroom in Fulton Market during Design Days. CEO Bob King said Orgatec is an important event for connecting with European designers. The company is particularly strong when it comes to international sales and meeting with its customers and designers there is critical.

While soft seating and ancillary products were everywhere at Orgatec, King said Humanscale remains firmly committed to its ergonomic products. Don’t expect any soft seating products from Humanscale, though he did say the company wants to become the premier manufacturer of home office furniture as well. He hinted that Humanscale was even looking at designing things like dining room chairs — with a twist. “The importance of ergonomics does not end in the office; it is important for the home as well,” he said.

After a sea of soft seating and ancillary products, it was refreshing to visit stands like Humanscale and Fellowes with actual work tools on display. And based on the traffic that we witnessed on both stands, attendees agreed. Monitor arms took center stage on the Fellowes stand, along with height adjustable tables and some of its air filtration products, with ergonomics and workplace comfort seemingly popular topics among fair-goers.

Orgatec is much more than just products. Speakers presented on everything from sustainability to emerging office trends.

Flokk is a good example of a European company that has become truly international with its acquisitions of 9to5 Seating and Stylex. Tim and Bo Stump of Stump & Company, the merger and acquisition experts from North Carolina, said there is a lot of acquisition interest in both directions — companies in Europe that want to acquire North American firms to gain a foothold in the massive U.S. and Canadian market and companies in the U.S. and Canada that want to acquire European companies for their design heritage. They were at the show working with customers on both sides of the Atlantic. “There is a lot of interest from European companies looking at the U.S. market because the economy in Europe is still difficult,” said Tim Stump.

Executives from Canadian public seating company Arconas were at the fair to meet with their European partners. “We have several partners here in Europe and it is important for us to stay connected to them,” said Pablo Reich, executive vice president. “Orgatec is an important show.”

For first time visitors to Orgatec, especially those from North America, the fair can be a bit baffling when it comes to brands. Massive stands are created for the show, many of them with extensive hospitality and food offerings, fill the halls. And they are built by brands that are regional and almost unknown in North America. European designers often pick products from manufacturers in their home countries. That means there are many smaller companies — by North American standards — that are a big deal in Europe. Companies like Sedus, Dauphin and Nowy Styl had huge stands that were packed with visitors, but most North American designers would have a hard time identifying any of their products.

And that’s too bad because there were some spectacular products on display, including the molded plywood nesting stool called AP, designed by Shin Azumi and made by La Palma, the Bouli Sofa from Polish furniture maker Noti that was designed by UAP, the EVO System from Walter Knoll, a collection of chairs that use no foam or adhesives and have covers that can be easily detached and washed, the Rizz Workstation from Pedrali, an impossibly long benching system that seems to float, and the Tiptoe table from the French brand of the same name, with its solid wood top and dimensions that would be perfect for a home office. There was even a life-sized rocking horse made of chair parts by LD Seating. We could go on. The product selection was that good.

Orgatec was one of the most high-tech shows that we’ve ever attended. The show also included some interesting and unusual products not often seen in North America.

Orgatec was organized differently than past events. Show organizers created Focus Areas in each of the halls that offered insights into the developments that are defining the future of work. Grouped around the highlight areas were exhibitors that presented products linked to the topic for the particular Focus Area. The Focus Areas were designed to enhance navigation for visitors, but we found them slightly confusing, though some of the individual elements were inspiring. We enjoyed #TheCircularHouse an area of the fair that highlighted sustainable office spaces and work environments.

There also was a much greater focus on speakers and presentations, though many were for the predominantly German-speaking crowd. The U.S. was well represented on the speaker front with BIFMA’s Steve Kooy presenting on office trends and IIDA’s Cheryl Durst who were joined by designers Erika Moody, Mike Johnson II and Jim Williamson in presenting “The World Office  – The Art and Science of Placemaking and Community Building.”

Many of these presentations and interactive workshops were part of the Work Culture Festival, an event conceived and hosted by the German Interior Business Association (IBA). The Work Culture Festival focused on three key themes: Team, Impact and Life. The Work Culture Festival included more than 100 international speakers, including Sascha Lobo, Ralf Rangnick and Jette Hopp.

Orgatec is dominated by European brands, many of which are relatively unknown in North America. Others are beginning to gain visibility here.

There was noticeably more space between stands than our last visit, but Orgatec did a good job using those areas for exhibitions and for food trucks, which dotted the show floors and made it convenient to grab a sandwich between meetings. There was even a full pickleball court built in Hall 9 where games were ongoing.

We’re delighted to be able to further consolidate Orgatec’s position as the central platform for innovations and trends with the new trade fair concept for the 2024 edition. The event will once again provide crucial impetus for the design of the workspaces of the future,” said Thomas Postert, Orgatec’s director.

Our goal is to translate the future of work into tangible concepts and to combine this with taking the exchange of ideas between leading companies, trade visitors and industry professionals to a new level. With the introduction of the Focus Areas and innovative formats such as the Work Culture Festival, we will create inspiring experiences. The trade fair will provide a comprehensive overview of the developments and trends that will shape tomorrow’s world of work.”