Continuity in June

“The atmosphere at Spoga+Gafa was good, and it still is. We’re still receiving quite positive feedback about the trade fair.” With these words, trade fair director Claudia Maurer summed up this year’s edition of Spoga+Gafa. In total, around 23,500 trade visitors from 112 countries attended this year’s Spoga+Gafa to find out about new products and industry trends from around 1,350 exhibitors from 50 countries – meaning that both visitor and exhibitor numbers have fallen once again (2025: around 26,000 visitors, around 1,600 exhibitors). Following Germany, the most significant countries of origin for visitors included France, the UK, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland.

Overall, however, the trade fair organisers are satisfied with this year’s event; feedback from exhibitors, retailers and international partners was positive: “We had the right audience; the calibre of the visitors was really high. This is also because the new customer journey worked better and buyers were able to find the right contacts,” summarised Claudia Maurer in an interview with the diy trade magazine following the fair. She also promised further improvements: “Among other things, we will continue to build on and expand the visitor management system, which we introduced for the first time this year, in order to attract even more high-quality visitors to the fair in future. And, of course, we’re looking at various concepts for how we can connect exhibitors and buyers even more effectively in future.”

At the same time, however, numerous discussions with exhibitors revealed that market conditions and the economic climate have changed noticeably in recent months due to ongoing global conflicts and disrupted international supply chains. Spoga+Gafa will therefore remain in June, and in future will always take place from Tuesday to Thursday and slightly earlier in the month – as Koelnmesse announced a week after the event. The 2027 edition will thus not return to the September date – and the biggest source of uncertainty, which had dominated many discussions at this year’s fair, has been resolved. This decision also took into account the requests of numerous exhibitors, association and trade partners, as well as industry representatives. The aim is to continue offering the industry a stable, internationally established date with a high degree of planning certainty – a point emphasised not least by Jochen Ludwig, CCO of Obi and member of the BHB Executive Board, at the BHB Garden Summit on the second day of the fair (see separate report in the gardening section).

This decision has been welcomed not least by the trade associations: “The feedback from our member companies and numerous other market participants during Spoga+Gafa was clear: for the majority of companies in the green sector, the June date is the right choice under the current circumstances,” emphasised Anna Hackstein, Managing Director of the German Garden Industry Association (IVG). “We expressly welcome the fact that Koelnmesse has taken these views seriously, sought intensive dialogue with the sector and demonstrated the necessary flexibility.”

“For our member companies, this clarity sends a strong signal,” emphasised Thomas Buchenau, Managing Director of the Association of German Garden Centres (VDG). “The June date aligns with the ordering and pre-ordering periods for many product ranges – and thus with precisely the planning cycles that determine the success of the season in garden centres.” Particularly at a time when supply chains, procurement channels and market conditions remain under pressure, stable timeframes are not a minor detail but a genuine competitive factor.

Under the title ‘growing forward’ – which will be retained in future – Spoga+Gafa 2026 presented its revised hall structure for the first time. Fewer, but fuller, halls, with a new and clearer layout and, as a result, shorter walking distances, are the objectives of the changes.

Tried-and-tested concepts from the supporting programme were also further developed and supplemented with new formats: POS inspiration was on offer in particular in the “Outdoor Adventure” special area and in the “Grow Anywhere” special exhibition, which used realistic living scenarios – from micro-balconies to spacious terraces – to demonstrate how urban outdoor spaces can be attractively designed.

The ‘Digital Garden Stage’ focused on digital solutions, retail concepts and future-oriented topics. The trade fair also set new trends in the BBQ area: formats such as the ‘Flavour Market’, the ‘Pitmaster Stage’ and the outdoor area ‘Pit & Pitch’ explored trends relating to outdoor cooking and food. The ‘Garden Sourcing Hub’ also made it easier to navigate the international procurement landscape for large volumes across all themed areas. The supporting programme was complemented by further talks, panel discussions and guided tours. The numerous networking events were also very well received, such as the VDG Happy Hour on the first day of the fair or the joint garden party hosted by BHB and IVG on the second evening of the fair – another new development, as the associations had previously held separate events. The rescheduling of the BHB Garden Summit to the second day of the fair had made this collaboration for the evening event possible.

Much to the delight of the organisers, Spoga+Gafa 2026 once again attracted numerous national and international retail companies to Cologne. These included, amongst others, Action, Aldi, Amazon, BBQ Land, B&Q, British Garden Centres, Bunnings, Carrefour, Costco, Dehner, Dobbies Garden Centres, Eurobaustoff, Europa Möbel Verbund, Globus Baumarkt, Grillfürst, Home24, Hornbach, Intratuin, Jumbo, Kesko, Kingfisher, Lidl, Lowe’s, Metro Cash & Carry, Maxeda, Mr. Bricolage, Obi, Rewe, Toom, Walmart, Wayfair, Wickes, XXXLutz and ZEB Zentraleinkauf Baubedarf.

At the same time, however, a number of major names had stayed away from the trade fair, both on the retail and exhibitor sides. To reverse this trend in future, though, it is not a question of ‘the chicken or the egg’ – that is, who should react first and how. “It’s a joint effort involving all of us – associations, exhibitors, retailers and trade fair organisers,” said Claudia Maurer. Accordingly, cooperation with the associations will be further expanded and refined in this regard in the run-up to the next edition.

The next Spoga+Gafa will take place in Cologne from Tuesday to Thursday, 15 to 17 June 2027.