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With around 60,000 trade visitors from 148 countries and over 1,600 exhibitors from 57 countries, interzum 2025 has confirmed its position as the world’s leading platform for furniture production and interior design. For four days, Cologne, Germany, became the international stage for innovative materials, intelligent components and smart technologies that will shape the homes and workplaces of tomorrow. A palpable spirit of positivity and optimism, in-depth discussions and a willingness to effect change were the hallmarks of this year’s trade fair. The central theme of “Rethinking Resources: Circular and Bio-based Solutions” lay at the heart of the event, with the industry demonstrating its determination to play an active role in shaping its journey into a resource-efficient, sustainable future.
“interzum 2025 has once again provided compelling proof that it is the leading platform for the design of future living spaces,” commented Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse. “The feedback from discussions with our exhibitors confirms that the quality of the visitor profile at the trade fair was consistently outstanding, with discussions between professionals taking place at the highest level. Cologne has again earned its reputation as an excellent venue for international interior design and furniture trade fairs. By working together with a committed sector, we’re staging events with global appeal here in the city.”
interzum 2025 gathered the international who’s who of the suppliers to the furniture and interior design industry in Cologne. Visitors from all of the important sales markets came together to discuss the latest developments, forge strategic partnerships and find practical solutions to current challenges. The leading countries in terms of visitor numbers included Italy, China, Spain, Poland and the Netherlands. The event’s international focus was also evident among the exhibitors, reflecting the global relevance of the topics discussed and driven forward in Cologne.
Central theme “Rethinking Resources” strikes a chord with the industry
The guiding theme of “Rethinking Resources: Circular and Bio-based Solutions” lay at the heart of interzum 2025 and wove its way through the exhibition halls. From foams made from recycled waste to recovered fibres from MDF and HDF boards to resource-efficient zinc recycling systems, sustainability was the dominant theme at many exhibitors’ stands.
With its three exhibition segments – Function & Components, Materials & Nature and Textile & Machinery – the trade fair offered a comprehensive overview of the market, packed with innovation and impressively in-depth specialist content. Cologne was also the venue for many product launches, highlighting the pace of development in the industry.
Inspiration for tomorrow: interzum as a platform for trends and knowledge sharing
In addition to informing the exhibitors’ product presentations, interzum 2025’s central theme was also reflected in the diverse event programme. The three interzum Trend Forums took deep dives into key issues affecting the future of the industry – from biocircular materials and resource-efficient furniture design to the Digital Product Passport as the key to a circular economy.
The interzum Trend Stage once again served as the trade fair’s knowledge hub. Renowned experts gave first-class presentations, in which they shared detailed insights into international industry trends, provided in-depth market analyses and discussed the current regulatory environment. The interzum Product Stage augmented the programme with actionable tips relating to new products, best practices and forward-looking strategies from the exhibitors – directly from the source. What all of these presentations made clear was that the industry isn’t simply watching the transition from the sidelines, but actively driving progress.
interzum award 2025
As in previous years, a particular highlight of the trade fair was the interzum award. In 2025, it had a strong link to the central theme with the introduction of a special “Rethinking Resources” category alongside the three standard categories. From a total of 146 entries submitted by 80 companies from 23 countries, the jury of experts selected 66 exceptionally forward-looking innovations – including twelve entries that were awarded the highest distinction: “Best of the Best”. The award-winning products were displayed in an exhibition on Boulevard North and attracted a great deal of interest from trade fair visitors.
Face-to-face interactions, dialogue and community: #ILoveMyinterzum
With #ILoveMyinterzum – an interactive experience area at the trade fair with a daily happy hour event – this year’s interzum deliberately encouraged in-person discussions and closer networking within the industry. The format created new conversation spaces within a laid-back atmosphere, strengthening international community building in the long term.
In his concluding remarks, Matthias Pollmann, Koelnmesse’s Vice President Trade Fair Management, said: “interzum 2025 has demonstrated the strength of this industry’s will to innovate – and the strength of its desire for sustainable change. We’re already looking ahead to the next event, when we intend to keep on supporting this process of transformation and stimulating new ideas. Our aim is to continue to offer the industry a platform where global trends are not only discussed, but actively shaped.”
Key figures for interzum 2025
· A total of 1,616 exhibiting companies from 57 countries took part in interzum 2025
· The trade fair featured a gross exhibition space of 176,000 square meters (nearly 1.9 million square feet)
· 86 percent of exhibitors travelled from outside Germany
· An estimated 60,000 trade visitors from 148 countries attended interzum 2025, with approximately 77 percent visiting from abroad
The next edition of interzum will take place in Cologne from 11 to 14 May 2027.
