Attendees From More Than 100 Countries Visit Spoga+gafa

Last weekend, visitors from around the world gathered in Cologne, Germany, for spoga+gafa, the world’s largest lawn, garden, and outdoor living trade fair. And the numbers show it was a popular event, with more than 36,000 attendees from more than 100 counties who came to see trends, technology, and more in the lawn and garden and outdoor living categories.

There were more exhibitors than ever—more than 2,000 from 56 countries, an increase of 10.7 percent from the previous year.

“The abundance of innovations and the expansion of the range of exhibits raised the event up to top level,” says Katharina C. Hamma, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH. “The quality of the visitors has also underlined the fact that the spoga+gafa is the leading international garden trade fair.”

Something for Everyone

Spoga+gafa included products from five areas: garden creation (tools, plants and flowers), garden living (furniture, decor and grills), garden care (machines and tools), garden basic (inexpensive garden products) and garden unique (premium garden furniture).

New this year was the Plant Park, a full-size nursery that featured greenery, flowers and other seasonal products. Exhibitors were on hand to talk with visitors about different types of plants and even take orders.

Trends: Color, Technology and More

The event was also the place to be to learn more about the latest trends in grilling, outdoor living and lawn and garden.

The outdoor Grill Park offered an open-air zone for visitors to see—and taste—grills in action.

Trends in grilling include portable grills, which are easy to pack up for camping trips or tailgating, and grills that are multifunctional, with separate burners that allow users to cook their meat or fish and vegetables at the same time.

And when it comes to outdoor living and gardening, color is everything. While neutrals remain popular, many displays at spoga+gafa showcased a variety of bright colors, which allow consumers to customize their décor by selecting what best fits in their color palette. Purple is an especially popular color this year. Available in both brighter and softer shades, purple offers anything from an alternate neutral tone to a splash of bright color. (The Pantone Color Institute^® selected Radiant Orchid, a shade that’s a mix of purple, pink and fuchsia, as its 2014 Color of the Year earlier this year.)

As for materials, wicker continues to be popular, as does plastic and aluminum.

Consumers are also interested in furniture that multitasks; for example, a chair that offers a tray for food.

“They’re looking for something different that offers more features,” says Brian Horowitz, director of sales for Creative Outdoor Distributor. “They don’t want chairs they can just sit in—they want chairs they can sit in and that have trays to hold food, for example. They’re looking for more bang for their buck.”

Technology also has its place—high-tech products, such as a wheelbarrow with a small motor that that makes it easier to carry loads up and down hills, or the flowerpot that contains an indicator keeping track of when a plant needs more water, are becoming more popular.

And urban gardening’s reach continues to grow, as city dwellers or consumers with limited outdoor living space using raised beds, garden walls and more.

“Raised bed canopies are perfect for anyone who just have a patio or only want a small garden,” says Robert Silinski, president of ShelterLogic. “They’re also good for those with bigger gardens who want to have a place to start plants.”

Of course, products of good quality are of utmost importance to consumers.

“People are tired of buying less expensive things that break,” says Karl Zeller, vice president of international marketing and sales for Barnel International. “They’d rather spend more and get something higher-quality and more durable.”

Mark your calendars for next year’s event: spoga+gafa 2015 will be held Aug. 30-Sept. 1 in Cologne. For more information, visit spogagafa.com.