Full house expected for 50th Spoga show

Full house expected for 50th Spoga show

-- Casual Living, 8/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

This year marks the 50th edition of Spoga — the International Trade Fair for Sports, Camping and Garden Lifestyle — which will again showcase a top-quality range of casual furniture, outdoor leisure, beach products and barbeque grill equipment when the annual trade show returns to Cologne, Germany, Aug. 31-Sept. 2.

“We’ve got the outdoors covered” is the motto of Spoga+Gafa 2008 as outdoor living makes up its largest product group. More than 2,400 vendors from 60 countries will present new products.

“Innovation, communication, training and trends in 2008, Spoga+Gafa will once again provide an expert and comprehensive overview of the garden and leisure sector,” said Oliver P. Kuhrt, executive vice president of Koelnmesse.

Spoga+Gafa, the International Garden Trade Fair, and Spoga horse will once again occupy the entire Cologne exhibition center.

Halls 1–3 and 11, devoted to furniture, are almost fully booked since many of the companies that exhibit once every two years are due to return in 2008. Similarly, Hall 5, home to suppliers of Outdoor Activities and Grill & BBQ, is also booked, and Passage 4/5 will be fully occupied for the first time this year.

An exciting new attraction this year is the Boulevard of Excellence, which will showcase a selection of garden and lifestyle vignettes designed to inspire trade visitors with new ideas for retail displays.

With wood now playing an increasingly important role in the world of gardens, more and more space is being devoted to this topic at Gafa.

As a multi-brand show, Spoga+Gafa will continue to present a comprehensive product spectrum relevant to the specialist trade. The trade fair thus underlines its status as a globally leading trade fair and internationally unique trade-oriented show for information and new products.

The Spoga+Gafa 2008 trade fairs offer a wide overview of the sector’s products, concepts and innovations — an essential precondition for specialist dealers to be able to provide their customers with expert advice. It also offers valuable information on additional product ranges, which can be developed into an additional source of revenue alongside core business lines.