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Every two years, the world’s kitchen industry people are gathering in Milan for Eurocucina – the biggest, best and actually the only international kitchen trade show. It is the most importent section in the Salone Internazionale del Mobile (the International Furniture Show).

Until a few years ago, there were two international kitchen industry trade shows – one in Milan, Italy – Eurocucina and on in Cologne, Germany – IMM. One year everyone went to Milan and then the following year, they all attended Cologne. While Milan featured mostly Italian kitchens Cologne focused on the German brands (In total, the Italian and German kitchen companies are producing most of the kitchens in Europe. Germany produced nearly 4 billion Euro worth of kitchens in 2006!).

Several years ago, something started changing – the higher-end German companies stopped exhibiting in Cologne and instead, chose to create in-house fairs, at their factories, for their own clients and invited guests only. It saved them lots of money, they kept the displays at the factory showrooms and they kept their clients “in house” without needing to compete on their attention. 

Slowly but surly, the other German companies followed and not before long, the Cologne show lost its momentum and became not so relevant anymore, at least not for the non-German kitchen industry.

As a result of the Cologne show slowly ‘dying’, the one in Milan got stronger and became the main and really the only international trade show for the kitchen industry. More and more German manufacturers started exhibiting in the Milan show and some brands from other countries as well. If in 1995 there were only 2 non Italian exhibitors, in 2006 the number reached 21. The exhibit area grew from almost 20,000 sq. meters, in 1995, to 33,778 in 2006. Though the number of Italian visitors remained almost the same in these 11 years (92,058 in 1995 – 99,747 in 2006) the non Italian visitors numbers ‘jump’ from 58,562 to 123,391! 

The Italian companies have always treated Euro Cucina as ‘a must attend event’. The export manager of Pedini Cucine, Mr. Simone Gennari says:” We have to exhibit at Euro Cucina. If you are an Italian kitchen company that wants to be respect, you must exhibit here, every time. My clients expect us to be here and show our new models and all of our competitors are here as well – to show their product and see what we do”. For this specefic reason, Pedini nearly doubled it’s stand in Eurocucina this year, to 300 sq. meters.

So, if you haven’t booked your airline tickets and hotel room in Milan for this April – do it now! It may be already too late…

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