The Whole Garden World at spoga+gafa 2010 in Cologne

Trends and New Products From Over 2,000 Suppliers From 53 Countries

COLOGNE, Germany, August 30, 2010 - The Cologne Exhibition Centre in full bloom: From 5th to 7th September
2010 spoga+gafa is bringing the market participants from the international
garden and leisure sector together in the cathedral city. At the world's
leading business platform of the year over 2,000 suppliers from 53 countries
will present their outdoor lifestyle innovations. The garden trade fair is
thus offering trade visitors a comprehensive global market overview
throughout the Exhibition Centre in the segments garden creation, garden
living, garden care, garden excellence and garden basic. "Compared to
spoga+gafa, no other event presents the garden market in this breadth", says
Oliver P. Kuhrt, Executive Vice-President, Koelnmesse. Special presentation
areas in the barbecue, garden furniture and water sports sectors along with
new concepts for the boulevard and the excellence sector provide lots of
scope and space for communication and interaction.

spoga+gafa is once again impressing with its worldwide unrivalled
internationality: 1,544 companies come from abroad, 473 from Germany. The
European nations, for example the Netherlands, Italy and Great Britain, are
represented with large contingents. Participants from faraway and exotic
countries such as El Salvador or Korea are enhancing the colourful product
range diversity.

Current trade fair trends

The so-called homing trend is also continuing in 2010/11. People's own
greenery is becoming a place of withdrawal, a place where everyday stress is
kept at bay. At spoga+gafa trade visitors will find everything required to
transform the garden or balcony into a personal nearby recreational area:
from the space-saving collapsible balcony furniture in bold, striking trend
colours up to XXL upholstered sofa landscapes for the garden, seating
furniture in exquisite wickerwork and material mix, modern-interpretation
beer garden furniture sets, extravagant lounge furniture, beach chairs, smart
outdoor showers or parasols. Even rain butts are decorating the garden with
an exquisite look next year. In the barbecue section, compact and
high-performance kettle or table barbecues are the trend-setters. In
addition, the manufacturers are showing refined further developed products
extending up to completely equipped outdoor kitchens. In the area of garden
appliances and garden care, among others the latest rechargeable battery
technology for lawnmowers along with new garden watering aids or innovative
plant protection solutions are being presented.

Top Ten of innovations

The special presentation areas "Barbecue Park" (Passage 4/5), "Beach and
Water Sports Park" (Hall 5.2) and "Garden Furniture Park" (Passage 3/11) will
once again serve as showcases for the top innovations in the respective
segments. The "Top Ten" products presented there are being selected for the
garden furniture segment in the run-up to the event by sector experts and
shown to the visitors in an entertaining presentation. Flowering innovations
are being shown in the Plant Park (Hall 9).

A journey through the garden year on the "boulevard of ideas"

Specialist trade competence and expertise along with new impulses for
product range planning are the focal point all around the exhibitors' stands
at spoga+gafa 2010. Along the new "boulevard of ideas" trade visitors can
embark on an informative journey through the garden year. There, in
cooperation with the "Kom:pakt" commercial agency, spoga+gafa is showing
Point-of-Sale concepts for large-space retail outlets and the retail trade

New opening times

spoga+gafa 2010 is open from 5th to 7th September to trade visitors only
on Sunday and Monday from 10.00 to 19.00 and on Tuesday from 10.00 to 18.00
hrs. Visitors can access the Halls via the South, West and East Entrances.
The admission tickets entitle the holder to visit spoga as well as the
parallel event spoga horse. For more information: www.spogagafa.com.

    Press contact:
    Koelnmesse GmbH, Henriette Preiss, press officer house, garden, leisure
    phone: +49-221-821-2528, h.preiss@koelnmesse.de

Press contact: Koelnmesse GmbH, Henriette Preiss, press officer house, garden, leisure, phone: +49-221-821-2528, h.preiss at koelnmesse.de