spoga+gafa and Euro 2024 kick off the summer in Cologne

While Germany is buzzing with excitement in anticipation of the European Football Championship in June 2024, the garden and barbecue industry is also preparing for its biggest event: spoga+gafa, the world's largest trade fair for the sector, which will take place in Cologne from 16 to 18 June. And no, it's not a coincidence!

Stefan Lohrberg, the director of spoga+gafa, gave a tasty interview a month before the fair opens, in which he revealed how preparations for the two big events of the summer are coming together.

"June will be an extremely intense month in Cologne," says Lohrberg. "Of course, organising two major events at the same time comes with challenges, especially in terms of accommodation. Let's just say that the hotels near the exhibition centre are full. But Cologne and the surrounding towns have enough places for all budgets."

And if you're worried about not getting to the spoga+gafa on time because of the traffic generated by the European Championship, Lohrberg reassures you: "Thanks to the excellent infrastructure of our exhibition halls, you can get to the spoga+gafa quickly and directly from the region by train, bus or taxi. So Cologne is ready for both the biggest garden and barbecue fair and one of the hottest sporting events the city has ever hosted!"

And football will really be at home in the Cologne region during the spoga+gafa. On 15 June, the day before the fair opens, the match between Hungary and Switzerland will be played at the Rhein-Energie Stadion in Cologne. Not far away, in Dortmund, on the same day Italy will meet Albania. On 16 June in Gelsenkirchen, England and Serbia will meet, and on 17 June Austria and France will have their match in Dusseldorf.

But beyond logistics and football, Lohrberg sees a perfect symbiosis between the European Championship, barbecues and gardening. "The colour green will be omnipresent in Cologne in June: both in the spoga+gafa pavilions and on the lawn. If there's one thing that really matches, it's barbecues, gardening and football. So in a month's time we'll have a mega garden and football festival!" he enthuses.

And spoga+gafa really has something to wow the visitors, even those thinking more about penalties than pansies. Under the motto 'Responsible Gardens', the fair will showcase sustainable and innovative solutions for gardening, outdoor furniture, tools, efficient technologies for gardens and garden maintenance. A special attraction will be the first Coolingworld, an area dedicated to active and passive coolers, which are in great demand in the specialist trade.

But why is spoga+gafa an unmissable event for the "green" industry? Lohrberg explains, "The gardening industry has had a tough few months. But now it's joining forces. The mutual exchange of ideas is essential for everyone. Common ideas need to be developed and solutions found. And the fair provides just the right framework for this, it conveys security, stability and a sense of 'home'. As a platform for innovation, spoga+gafa sets trends, offers access to the international market and excellent networking opportunities, bringing together industry expertise, new impulses, demand and supply."

So if you're in or around Cologne in June, whether for football, spoga+gafa, or - why not - both, know that the region will be ready to handle both events with flying colours. The only dilemma will be: Do we go to the fair first or to the match? Or do we barbecue between the two and watch the second half over a cold beer? Whichever you choose, the atmosphere is guaranteed to be one of a European Championship!

Photo credit spoga+gafa. Event details spoga+gafa 2024 https://www.spogagafa.com/trade-fair/spoga-gafa-2024/industry-trade-fairs/