Some family members I haven’t seen for a while recently asked me about my trip to Germany.
I gladly whipped out my phone and showed them photos of my first day in Cologne, which included a cathedral we visited (not the Dom), a chocolate shop and children in the park blowing giant bubbles.
Had they been bedding people, I would have gladly shown them photos from the show. Luckily for you, we’ve assembled many of them in this magazine. The Interzum wrap-up story can be found here.
As with every show, there’s so much more that we don’t have space to print. And photos can only give you one element of the experience. Interzum Cologne was a treat for the senses. Here are just a few things that I remember: the pop of royal blue carpet in the Teknomac booth, the orange and soft teal colors and intricate shapes of contoured foam at Fecken-Kirfel, the bins of soft fibers that make you want to run your fingers through them at Brighi Tecnologie, triangle patterns of Entex fabrics on the outside of its booth, microcoils forming a wall around the Agro booth, Gruppo Grassi’s “take a walk with us” on sheer fabric surrounding its area, and the fabric-covered standing rectangles at Love Home Fabrics. Each had a portion of a saying, so that when you looked down the row, you could see the whole adage. One side proclaimed: No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.
Then there was the auditory wonderland of the machinery hall. At any moment you could hear the whine of robotic arms moving mattress pieces, the whir of conveyors and the steady hum of sewing. Machinery is so cool.
In his column, Dave Perry wrote about turning mattress buying into an experience to help drive sales. He’s absolutely right. I would also argue that attending a trade fair for components and machinery is infinitely worthwhile. Nothing compares to seeing, feeling and hearing firsthand.
You don’t have to wait two years until the next Interzum Cologne. The International Sleep Products Association will hold its biennial EXPO March 13-14, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. Because it’s only for the mattress industry, ISPA EXPO helps you target exactly what you need. Learn more at ISPAEXPO.com.
I’m excited to see all the inventiveness companies bring to their products and their spaces. If Interzum Cologne is any indication, we’re in for a treat.
