Full halls in Cologne

Koelnmesse is expecting some 2 000 suppliers from 52 countries at the Cologne Spoga+Gafa in early September. The world’s leading garden trade fair will occupy the entire exhibition site. Around 80 per cent of the exhibitors are coming from abroad, as are around 60 per cent of the visitors expected to attend. At the advance press conference for specialist journalists Katharina C. Hamma, chief operating officer at Koelnmesse, emphasised in particular the presence in the garden care segment, which covers the categories of motorised equipment, garden tools, substrates and fertilizers, of MTD/Wolf-Garten once more this year after a break. Though she also said that the field of outdoor power equipment “continues to be difficult”.Hamma also announced that the fair, due to be held 2 – 4 September 2012, is going back to its original opening times “at the special request of the industry”. It will be open from 9 am to 6 pm on the Sunday and Monday, and from 9 am to 5 pm on the Tuesday.