imm cologne is a leading international trade fair for interior design and furnishing, held each January at Koelnmesse. The 2026 edition runs 20-23 January 2026. Organised by Koelnmesse, imm cologne relaunched as a focused B2B event for consumer-oriented interior design, gathering several hundred exhibitors from around 28 countries and drawing a trade audience of retailers and buyers who value efficient ordering and quality of contact, positioned as the fair that opens the furniture year.
imm cologne is a retail-buying fair, so stand design centres on presenting furniture ranges clearly and supporting order-writing. Exhibitors build room-set style displays and product presentations with meeting and negotiation space, balancing an attractive brand environment with the practicalities of showing large furniture and closing orders. Because buyers move through many stands assessing collections, clear layout, good lighting and comfortable meeting areas matter more than spectacle.
The fair occupies Koelnmesse halls organised by segment and price point, so hall placement relative to a company's market affects footfall. Koelnmesse's Hall 11 offers high ceiling clearance suited to larger builds, and the venue's own on-site ICE station and Kuehne+Nagel forwarder streamline access and freight. The January slot follows standard German build rules. Exhibitors confirm stand design and hall placement well ahead of the winter build.
For companies exhibiting at imm cologne, a builder with Cologne and Koelnmesse experience is a practical advantage: furniture-display stands with room sets and meeting space benefit from local knowledge of the venue's logistics, load-in and approved-contractor rules, reducing on-site risk during the fair that opens the interior-design calendar.