Take a moment to stop working on your computer (invented in Germany) and start planning your trip to Orgatec, Europe’s biennial commercial interiors show that rivals CIFF in China as the world’s largest and NeoCon/Design Days as the most important.
I know, I know, it’s tough to pull yourself away from your television (invented in Germany) or your cool retro vinyl record collection and turntable (invented in Germany), but if you want to attend this show in Cologne, it’s time to start planning now. Flights (on jets whose engines were invented in Germany) are beginning to fill.
Orgatec is one of the most important shows in the world when it comes to showcasing workplace trends, ideas and products designed to improve the office. While Salone in Milan is certainly inspiring, Orgatec is where the rubber meets the road — where ideas about the future of work come to life. Products and ideas presented at Orgatec become the office trends of the near future.
With the show scheduled for Oct. 22-25, it’s time to clean yourself up after your post-NeoCon stupor, brush your teeth (using toothpaste — invented in Germany) and start planning to attend. You’ll probably need a car (invented in Germany) to get to the airport, but that’s no problem.
When you arrive in Cologne, you can grab a beer (invented in Germany) and relax as you plan your time at the trade fair that covers 1.5 million square feet at Koelnmesse, one of the largest exhibition halls in Europe. As you can see from the examples, Germany has always played at outsized role in creating new products and ideas.
And there will be much to see at this year’s Orgatec. Though Orgatec operated in limited fashion during the pandemic, this will be the first real show entirely free from COVID restrictions. And according to show organizers, visitors can expect a packed trade halls as the commercial interiors industry gathers in Cologne.
While NeoCon and Design Days in Chicago focuses on products and Salone on fashion and concepts, Orgatec exhibitions are a blend of both. Yes, you will see a host of new products from office furniture makers like mdd, Deberenn, Four Design, Guialmi, Mobel Linea, Narbutas, Quadrifoglio, Schaffenburg, Sokoa, Visplay and Werner Works, to name a few, but Orgatec also trades on something more important — ideas about the workplace and the future of work.
Ideas and trends at Orgatec 2024 will include: cultivating emotional harmony and the office as a haven of well-being; offices on the move and setting work in motion; the rise of the circular economy; the growing demand for personal space; championing simplicity; and office connectivity.
In addition to the furniture companies from Europe and beyond that are exhibiting this year at Orgatec, there will be many flooring companies (Anker, Fabula Living, Infloor Girlon, Interface, Object Carpet and Warli), lighting (Belux, Luctra, Hamelin, Herbert Waldmann, Kreon, Oligo and Ompeo), hospitality and outdoor furniture (Akaba, BLA Station, Cadeinor, Casala, Cascando, COR, Ethnicraft, Fenabel, Fermob, Jan Kurtz, Lande, Mizetto, Muuto, Molo, Norr 11, PME 1910, Prostoria, Viccarbe and Walter Knoll) and acoustics (Camira, Framery, Gerriets, Lehnert, Lindner Group, Procedes, SilentLab, Silen and Softline) as well, just to name a few. For a full list of Orgatec 2024 exhibitors, please visit the Orgatec website.
“The outstanding diversity and quality of our exhibitors clearly demonstrates our community’s deep commitment and readiness to actively shape our future work environments,” said Orgatec Director Thomas Postert. “By participating in the event, our exhibitors are laying the foundation for intense cooperations that will be crucial to meeting the constantly evolving requirements expected of modern workplaces.”
If you plan on attending, don’t expect many North American companies. Furniture makers scheduled to have exhibits at Orgatec from the U.S. include Haworth, Humanscale, Special-T and OmniCharge.
Orgatec includes several “focus areas” to help attendees understand the changing nature of work and the workplace.
In the Focus Area #InspiredAugmentedOffice, Orgatec, together with zgoll, present concrete best-practice examples and trends, ranging from hybrid meetings to spatial computing and the future of mixed and augmented Reality in smart work environments. Visitors can experience and photograph this with MR headsets or their own mobile devices, gaining insights into current approaches for hybrid meeting spaces and the future perspective of mixed reality collaboration rooms.
Attendees can discover the future of sustainable material technologies in the #CircularBiomaterials focus area. This area features material technologies like seagrass foam for furniture and cattail fiber cushioning.
In Hall 8, visitors can find the #OfficeXperience, a live office showcase curated by experts presenting themes within a cross-industry community. Through get-togethers, guided tours, and workshops, trade show participants can explore the direct benefits of a next-gen workplace and experience innovative space, product, and service ideas.
Indoor and outdoor lounges are becoming more of a focus in the office and new concepts can be found in the #Indoor&OutdoorHospitality focus area. In this area, visitors will find contract furniture manufacturers presenting concepts that enhance the quality of stay and hospitality.
At #TheCircularHouse, visitors can find a future-forward experience with innovative, circular solutions for the office furniture industry and beyond. The event includes keynote speeches, in-depth discussions, and a tour of the future of work.
The Wherever Whenever Work Culture Festival by the Interior Business Association (IBA) presents a festival concept in Halls 6 and 9 offering three perspectives on the future of work: team, impact and life. Attendees will learn from professionals from around the world who are exploring what’s next in future office work. Expect inspiring and trendsetting talks, discussion panels, workshops, experience spaces and exhibitions. The festival is aimed at professionals from across the globe who are actively shaping the design of tomorrow’s workspaces.
Orgatec has expanded beyond Germany. Show organizers recently added Orgatec Tokyo, a new, well-attended event that took place in Japan in May. Koelnmesse also operates the interzum event brand, which includes its namesake in Cologne, interzum Guangzhou in China, interzum Bogota in Colombia and interzum forum Italy in Italy. Koelnmesse is also working with imm cologne and an established design trade fair in Colombia.
Still, it is Cologne that attracts the world to the latest thinking in office design and the future of the workplace. And after walking the huge show and reflecting on everything you discovered, take an aspirin (invented in Germany) and relax.