cooperations with influencers. And on Saturday, 8th March, there’s a panel called, Sustainable yarns in your product range: your key to more sales?. On Sunday again, there’s a workshop about upcycling. And these are just three random examples of the wide range our event programme has to offer. So yes, there are going to be talks, workshops and demos. And we can’t wait for our trade visitors to experience them all. What speakers will you be welcoming to the stage? We’ve invited a wide range of speakers to Cologne, each being an expert of their own respective field. Frank Rehme for example is a German trade expert with more than 35 years of experience. Nastia Mohren is a content creator with an expertise in DIY content. Also, the Frauhofer IIS is presenting the research results that focused on the local retail of the future. We highly recommend visiting our event website to get the full idea of all the different names, panels and workshops of this year’s fair. How is the show promoting the importance of sustainability? This year, we’re introducing two new Zones to h+h cologne: The Trend Zone and the Green Zone. Both are in partnership with the local working group of circular design, the designdirective & Julian F. Eckes. With the increasing spread of sustainable alternatives, the need for orientation in the industry is also growing. The new zones therefore offer exciting insights into the green segment: while the Green Zone showcases environmentfriendly products from our exhibitors it also focuses on sustainable product concepts and offers various modular perspectives on future-orientated action. The Trend Zone on the other hand is specifically dedicated to sustainable fabrics and innovative materials. What else can exhibitors and visitors look forward to? One highlight of each iteration of h+h cologne clearly is the networking aspect. It’s a place to meet colleagues and business partners. So, getting to meet like-minded people and those producing the ware you sell, surely is something we all look forward to. It’s something we always see and hear as feedback. Another thing is the creativity that lies in the air. Our Creative Zone is the perfect example for this. It’s a place where people get to learn new techniques, try out new products and form them into something original. Seeing all these creative minds coming together, helping each other grow and learn new things is fantastic. It’s always exciting to be amid it all. What newcomers are you welcoming to this year’s show? There are multiple ones, I could talk about, but there are two projects I’d love to highlight. One is a project from the Technical University of Chemnitz, which is called ‘textil trainer’; together with industry representatives they put together online courses that will help career starters and changers to get necessary knowledge of the handicraft industry. It even supports different languages to make it accessible for as many people as possible. With this they aim to combat the omnipresent shortage of skilled labor in the industry. Also, I’d like to highlight a company called GOR Wollen Mill. Founded by a married couple living in Australia, the two of them create yarn from alpaca and sheep wool in the outskirts and committed themselves to eco-friendly practices. That goes from using natural energy sources like solar, water and wind up to the fact that each product is crafted from raw fibre to finished yarn. A great example of how green solutions can look like. Stories like these can be found all over h+h cologne. It truly is a place full of inspiration, creativity, and passion and therefore the reason why I love working on this project year after year. How can interested buyers sign up to the event? That’s extremely easy: Just visit our website hh-cologne.com, navigate to our ticket shop and get yourself a ticket. And with a simple task like that, we welcome you to h+h cologne from 7th to 9th March 2025. We’re waiting with well-known international brands, an exciting event program and tons of interesting people and stories for you. Make sure you don’t miss out! h+h cologne 7th to 9th March 2025 www.hh-cologne.com 27 H+H PREVIEW
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTA0NTE=