Attendance up at Imm Cologne

The year couldn't have started better for the interior and kitchen industry, according to the organizers of Imm Cologne, Germany's annual furniture fair, and the Living Kitchen exhibit.

The fair drew about 138,000 visitors from 130 countries, representing a 38 percent increase in attendance from 2010.

"It was by far the best furniture fair we've had in the last 10 years: more visitors, more contracts signed and an excellent mood," said Dirk-Uwe Klaas of German Furniture Industry Association, in a release.

The producer, Koelnmesse GmbH, reports that 1,213 companies from 48 countries exhibited in Cologne, with 59 percent of the exhibitors coming from outside of Germany.

This was the premier of the Living Kitchen exhibit, which featured the latest in appliances, countertops, lighting and other accessories. Living Kitchen will become a biennial event.

Highlights and design trends from the fair are available at www.imm-cologne.com and www.livingkitchen-cologne.com.

The next Imm Cologne fair is scheduled for Jan. 16-22, 2012.

This article originally appeared in the March 2011 issue.