h + h cologne

Event Update

H+h Cologne 2024 will be hosted as a live trade fair between 22.03.2024 and 24.03.2024. The hosting location for the event will be Messe Cologne in Germany. The venue will not implement stringent Covid-19 safety measures. This is because of the country's government lifting the pandemic-related limitations.

A Brief Overview of h+h cologne

h+h cologne is the place where creative handcrafts, hobbies, knitting and sewing come together to celebrate the success of the year, shape upcoming trends and debut the new product lines. The international trade fair brings in celebrated exhibitors and emerging voices that come to Cologne, Germany in the hopes to increase market shares and grow their client list. It’s the proper way to kick off the fiscal year.

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Why Your Visit Is Worth It

It is time to investigate why h+h cologne is the right fit for you as an exhibitor. Yes, it’s the first platform in Europe to reveal the trends in the industry, but also it makes sure that you are seen in the best way possible:

• 420+ international exhibitors from 40+ countries showcased at the event;
• 16,000+ international trade visitors made the trip;
• 36,000+ square metres of exhibition space used.

Industry Relevance

h+h cologne has had only a small window of time to make an impact as the inaugural edition broke ground in 2009, but in the span of nearly a decade this trade fair has become a leader and a thriving ground for innovation in handicraft, hobby and textile design. Editions are organised every single year in spring at Kölnmesse and admission is given only to trade visitors. 

Because it’s the leading trade fair, visitors have access to the entire product assortment – handmade fabrics, craft kits, craft supplies, handmade tools, home textiles, carpet yarns, beads, buttons, canvases, sequins, sewing boxes, sewing machine accessories. The list goes on! To add even more excitement, there is an incredible fashion show where trends in textile come to the foreground.

Who Are You Going to Meet?

h+h cologne is a still young event and enjoys a stable, steady growth rate. Compared to its first editions, the attendance rate has doubled in terms of exhibitors. The main exhibitor countries include Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Turkey. As far as who exhibits, mostly we’re talking about specialist suppliers, hobby and craft supplies specialiяed trade, wholesalers, mail-order companies, department stores, discounters, purchasing cooperatives. Visitors represent the retail industry at all levels and also extends to associations and schools – wholesale department stores, mail order businesses, associations and even schools.

Additional Value of Attending 

You can expect a great variety of supporting events to give you a perspective on market trends and practical solutions to trends. The 2022 edition featured exciting events such as the Talk Sofa of “my lovely livingroom” led by TV presenter Stefan Pinnow. Here the largest themes of the trade fair are shared and explored. Sustainability proved to be the big topic of the day with a lot of deep insights in ethical corporate management, sustainable management, design and the creative and fashion industry. The ecological movement is quite strong as end consumers become a lot more conscious about their environmental impact and choice in products. 

A lot of the programming also had to do with the challenges surrounding the digital economy. The pandemic accelerated the rise of online shopping, which created new obstacles for companies that have yet to adapt fully to the digital world. So how can a company reach their audience. That’s Andreas Häntsch from eBay Germany discusses at length. Another lecture on the subject was held by Sven Deutschländer from the Berlin-based agency, dskom, who listed the 8 tips for Google advertisements. The practical hands-on approach empowered companies to fully explore means to increase their online visibility.

Of course, we have to highlight the exceptional workshops that take place. The two examples from 2022 are the workshop “What makes the customer tick?” and the practical workshop led by Karin Moslener for improving crafting skills. The first workshop gave visitors the rundown of how to identify target groups or style groups, and then discover the best way to approach them. The goal is to arm companies with the right knowledge and tools to best serve their audience and increase their visibility through improved Google search results. 

The manual workshop teaches participants how to give things the “last polish”. The practical skills that you’ll master include how to sew an application using a sewing machine alongside a detailed briefing on essentials. How do you prepare the application? What are the best fabric types? How do you employ the right sewing machine feet?

Finally, we’ll mention the Fashion Show that was initially introduced in 2021 as a lookbook for the hottest trends for the fall/winter collection 2021/2022. The 2022 edition built on top of the first event and managed to make a deep impression. 

The Outlook for 2023

Organisers are quite happy with the turnover for h+h cologne 2022, especially in regards to social engagement through the digital platform. The hybrid model has been a resounding success so you can expect that all additional digital options for participation will remain in effect. Whether long-distance air travel will be impacted next year doesn’t matter when you can participate from home and still generate new contacts and leads digitally.

Plus, the digital platform h+h cologne @home makes it possible for on-site visitors to participate in all the activities without missing out. After all, the support programme has never been bigger, so in case you miss anything you’ll be able to watch lectures and discussions at their own time. All content during the trade fair is recorded and available for an extended period after the end of the physical event. You truly get the full value of the tickets to attend.