photokina 2014 records 185,000 visitors

Trade visitors accounted for 47.7 per cent of the attendants, 44.3 per cent of them from abroad. There was particularly strong growth in visitor numbers from the USA, Asia and South East Asia and from the Oceania region. Gerald Böse, President and Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse, was suitably satisfied: "Cologne is ‘the place to be’ for the photographic and imaging industry. This is where the industry charts the future course of the business."

Katharina C. Hamma, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH, emphasised the trade fair’s importance as a trendsetter: "The industry is now benefitting from the fact that photokina has constantly embraced trend topics and developed product segments so that it constantly reflects the current market situation." This is also evident from the number of companies making their first appearance at the fair. Among the 180 first-time exhibitors, the highest number ever, were well-known companies such as Google, GoPro, RED Digital and Blackmagic as well as Lytro, Helipro or startup Panono.

For Christoph Thomas, President of the German Photographic Industry Association, the trade show underlined the industry’s appetite for innovation: "photokina 2014 has impressively illustrated that nowadays there is scarcely any walk of life in which visual information and communication does not play a significant role. All companies have demonstrated with new and fresh ideas, innovative products and fascinating technical developments that the photographic and imaging industry has its finger on the contemporary pulse and is in fine fettle for the future."

photokina’s function as a trendsetter for the industry was also emphasised by the exhibiting companies. Dr. Rolf Hollander, Chief Executive Officer of Cewe, voiced his delight at the trade fair: "It couldn’t have gone any better! Because photokina incorporated the ‘mobile’ topic into the trade fair at an early stage, our messages and new offerings fell on fertile ground among visitors – both among trade visitors but also especially with the end consumer. That is photokina’s enduring hallmark. It sets trends and drives topics forward. For us, photokina always drives sales for the months ahead."

Simon Westland, Sales & Marketing Director at Blackmagic Design, added: "It’s our first time at photokina and we are pleased to have been part of the fair. photokina has enabled us to tap into new target groups and is a fantastic opportunity to showcase our new products." Jim Geduldick, Marketing Manager of GoPro, took a similar view: "For us the fair was definitely worthwhile! The decision to present our products at photokina proved to be spot on. We managed to attract important new target groups and the public was enthusiastic about our presence. For GoPro, photokina is exactly the right platform with a strong external international impact." The worldwide attention photokina attracts also prompted Canon to unveil its new marketing campaign to the public: "There was a reason why we chose photokina to launch our new, global marketing campaign. You won’t attract more international attention anywhere in the world", said Rainer Führes, Managing Director of Canon Deutschland GmbH.

Initial results of an independent survey show that around two-thirds of visitors (65 per cent) were either main decision-makers or had decision-making input. And the retail trade as well was happy with photokina: "photokina is simply indispensable for the photographic retail trade. It is the ideal ordering and information platform", said Michael Gleich, Managing Director of Ringfoto GmbH & Co. Also, as a specialist dealer, he said, you can observe the end consumer and study his enthusiasm for certain products and services. "The who’s who of the industry is gathered together in one place, new trends are presented and there is up to the minute market information that adds real value for our retail trade partners in the Ringfoto Group – what could be better?", said Gleich.

1,074 companies from 51 countries participated in photokina 2014, 68 % of them from abroad. The exhibiting firms included 236 exhibitors and 109 additionally represented firms from Germany and 516 exhibitors and 213 additionally represented firms from abroad.

The next photokina Köln – World of Imaging – will take place from Tuesday, 20 September to Sunday, 25 September 2016.