Two heads, one vision – what makes idd cologne different from other trade fairs?

Maik Fischer: idd cologne is our new trade fair concept for premium interior design – with a clear focus on the residential, hospitality and contract segments. We bring brands, makers and opinion leaders together – not just as a conventional product showcase, but as a holistic experience. On the supply side, the trade fair is aimed in particular at high-end brand manufacturers from a wide range of segments: home furniture, outdoor furniture, high-quality mattresses, beds and decorative lighting. As the event is partially co-located with FSB and aquanale, visitors will also be able to check out offerings from manufacturers in the wellness and saunas segment.

Dick Spierenburg: I’d sum it up by saying that idd cologne is like a perfect espresso: strong and condensed. We don’t present everything. What we have instead is an inspiring selection of top brands – in an exclusive ambience

Dick Spierenburg: At the heart of the new industry event is its central theme, Shaping Homes & Hospitality. It’s an invitation to rethink living, hotel, catering and public spaces and to consider aspects such as durability, well-being and materials. We want to create spaces that have an impact. Architecture, lighting, staging – everything has been planned to give visitors a real experience. We’ve set out to present a coherent, holistic overall picture.

Maik Fischer: Exactly. And that doesn’t just apply to products. The same goes for the topics we address: How will we design tomorrow? What is really driving the market? That’s why we’re focusing on curated content, talks and design that really inspires.

Maik Fischer: On the visitor side, we’re targeting the entire European home and hospitality segment, specifically premium furniture retailers, contract furnishers, hospitality planners and purchasing officers (hospitality contract furniture suppliers), interior professionals (architects, planners, interior architects, designers), corporate VIPs and facility managers, as well as players in the property market.

Dick Spierenburg: But design-loving private visitors are also welcome at idd cologne. And what’s in store for them is not a typical trade fair but a design experience with attitude: exhibitions, talks, networking – all of it in an aesthetic, beautifully conceived ambience.

Maik Fischer: To highlight Cologne’s position as an established furniture destination in the city itself as well, we’ve developed an urban programme to accompany the trade fair known as idd cologne downtown. We’re taking high-end design into the city: into showrooms, stores, pop-ups and creative centres right across Cologne. We’ve got lots of partners lined up along defined routes, who will show what’s driving the industry – from new product launches to talks and events. It will transform Cologne into a buzzing design hotspot – one that’s open to both professionals and design lovers.

Dick Spierenburg: idd cologne downtown is all about conversations and experiences: design on an equal footing in the thick of everyday life in the city. With a mix of inspiring exhibitions, face-to-face exchanges and evening drinks, idd cologne downtown will take the design vibe out of the exhibition halls and into urban life.

Maik Fischer: We’re a duo that brings different perspectives together: I’m the trade fair strategist, and Dick is the design visionary. What unites us is our mission to really take the industry forward.

Dick Spierenburg: And the fun we have together! We talk things over, come up with ideas, think big – always with the same goal in sight: to create a trade fair that inspires – and an experience that excites.

Many thanks to both of you for talking to us – and for getting us excited about a design trade fair that will inspire Cologne (and us, too).