High international participation, strong business contacts and a positive response to new formats characterised spoga+gafa 2026 in Cologne. The trade fair responded to the market needs and the challenging market situation by consistently evolving its concept, sending a strong signal as a central platform for the global garden industry. Driven by very positive feedback, changing supply and ordering cycles and the industry's desire for consistency, spoga+gafa will continue to be held in June in future.
After three days, spoga+gafa 2026 draws a positive conclusion. From June 22 to 24, the leading global trade fair for garden lifestyle and BBQ brought the international garden sector together in Cologne. This year's June edition was well received by the exhibitors, trade and international market partners. The high quality of the discussions was particularly notable: Many exhibitors reported about expedient exchanges with key decision-makers from the international trade and about successful business deals.
At the same time, in many of the discussions with the exhibitors it became clear that the market conditions and economic framework conditions have changed noticeably over the past months due to the ongoing global conflicts and international supply chain disruptions. The wish for stability and functionality is growing particularly in such a challenging market environment. Against this backdrop, spoga+gafa will continue to be held in June in future. The next edition will take place in Cologne from 15 to 17 June 2027. This decision follows extensive discussions held with exhibitors, associations and trading partners as well as industry representatives during this year's event in Cologne. The aim is to provide the industry with a stable, internationally established date that also offers a high degree of planning security in the future.
Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH, said: “spoga+gafa 2026 demonstrated how important the personal exchange and international contacts are, especially in a demanding market environment. Particularly in times of economic uncertainty, the industry's desire for continuity and a trusted trade fair format grows. The success of this year's spoga+gafa has reinforced us in our commitment to providing stability and offering the industry an internationally established meeting point in future with the date in June.”
“The feedback from our member companies and the numerous other market participants during spoga+gafa was clear: For the majority of the companies of the garden industry, the date in June is the right choice under the current framework conditions. We explicitly welcome the fact that Koelnmesse has taken these opinions serious and after actively seeking a dialogue with the industry has demonstrated the necessary flexibility. spoga+gafa is an important meeting place for our industry and, as an association, it is an event we deeply value,” added Anna Hackstein, Managing Director of the Industry Garden Association (IVG).
New formats and theme worlds address industry trends
With the new concept “growing forward”, spoga+gafa 2026 presented itself with a further developed hall structure, clearly defined theme worlds and new formats. In this way, the fair created important spaces for communities to meet and exchange ideas, provided additional orientation and offered a targeted response to the demands of a changing market.
The trade fair provided inspiration for the POS with its two special areas, “Outdoor Adventure” and “Grow Anywhere”, which used realistic living situations, 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 themes. The fair also set new standards in the BBQ section: Formats like the “Flavour Market,” the “Pitmaster Stage” and the outdoor “Pit & Pitch” area addressed outdoor cooking and food trends and invited the visitors to linger. The “Garden Sourcing Hub” also facilitated orientation across the theme worlds in the international sourcing environment.
Numerous networking formats, lectures, panels and guided tours additionally promoted the professional exchange between the trade, the industry, creators and international market partners.
Leading trading companies represented in Cologne
spoga+gafa 2026 once again attracted numerous international trading companies to Cologne. The companies represented included Action, Aldi, Amazon, BBQ Land, B&Q, Begros, British Garden Centres, Bunnings, Carrefour, Costco, Dehner Gartencenter, Dobbies Garden Centres, EUROBAUSTOFF Handelsgesellschaft, Europa Möbel Verbund, Fritz Berger, GIGA-Einkaufsverband, Globus Baumarkt, Grillfürst, home24, Hornbach, Intratuin, Jumbo, Kesko, Kingfisher, Lidl, Lowe’s, Makro/Metro Cash & Carry, Maxeda, SEGMÜLLER, Mr. Bricolage, OBI, REWE Group, Sainsbury’s/Argos, Sam’s Club, Schaffrath, Silvan, Tchibo, TJ Morris, toom, Walmart, Wayfair, Wickes, XXXLutz and ZEB Zentraleinkauf Baubedarf.
Klaus Dolmer, Chief Executive Officer of Silvan from Denmark, said: “spoga+gafa is an important meeting point for Silvan, giving us the opportunity to meet key suppliers, finalize our assortment, and discover new and innovative products for the following season. The timing fits well with our planning cycle and enables us to make timely decisions ahead of the next garden season. It is an efficient and convenient platform that helps Silvan save both time and cost by reducing the need for separate supplier visits abroad.”
Exhibitors rate the quality of the discussions positively
Many of the exhibitors particularly rated the quality of the discussions and the relevance of the contacts positively.
Deborah Peltenburg, Commercial Director of Capi Europe BV, said: “At spoga+gafa, we value much more than just showcasing our products. The trade fair provides a unique opportunity to meet existing and potential retail partners from all over the world in person. These face to face conversations help us better understand market needs, exchange ideas and build long-term relationships based on trust. The international character of spoga+gafa, combined with the direct interaction with industry professionals, makes it an essential event for us every year.”
The trade fair was also positively appraised in the Living Furniture segment: “This year’s spoga+gafa really exceeded our expectations. It’s been one of the best editions we’ve had in the last few years, with lots of quality visitors and amazing reactions to our completely new collection. For us, it’s always a great opportunity to connect directly with the market, meet international customers, and start new partnerships,” explained Frits Wolf, Chief Executive Officer of 4 Seasons Outdoor BV.
The new Outdoor Adventure theme world also met with a positive response: “Outdoor Adventure pursues an all-year-round approach and is therefore also of high relevance for the trade in the second half of the year. At spoga+gafa 2026, we successfully presented not only our innovations for 2027, but also our new products available for immediate delivery this year,” said Frank Rommersbach, Chief Executive Officer of Petromax GmbH.
The BBQ section also gave a clear sign for the future: “For us, spoga+gafa is a key platform for meeting both international and national retail partners, gaining valuable market insights and presenting our latest product innovations to a broad professional audience. The June date has proven its value and, from our perspective, provides ideal conditions for productive and focused business discussions,” emphasises Nils Cala, Member of the Management Board of Enders Colsman AG.
spoga+gafa 2026 in figures
Around 1,350 exhibitors from 50 countries participated at spoga+gafa 2026. The foreign share was 92 percent. Around 23,500 trade visitors from 112 countries attended spoga+gafa 2026, 66 percent of whom came from abroad. After Germany, the countries with the highest number of visitors were among others France, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland.
The next spoga+gafa is scheduled to take place in Cologne from Tuesday, 15 June to Thursday, 17 June 2027.
