Fira de Barcelona vs Koelnmesse

Fira de Barcelona announces new press releases: Alimentaria FoodTech, Saló del Comerç, and UFI Award

New press releases on the Fira de Barcelona news page include: 'Alimentaria FoodTech impulsa la transformació de la indústria alimentària', 'Neix el Saló del Comerç per reforçar la competitivitat del comerç local', and 'Fira de Barcelona guanya l’UFI Operations & Services Award 2026'.

Smart City Expo 2026 Showcases Urban Solutions with Real Impact

The Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) 2026, organized by Fira de Barcelona, will take place from November 3-5, 2026 in Barcelona. The event expects 1,000 cities, over 25,000 visitors, more than 1,000 exhibitors, and 600 speakers. This year's theme is "Urban Solutions, Real Impact," with a special focus on housing. The congress program covers seven areas: Enabling Technologies, Energy & Environment, Mobility, Governance & Economy, Living & Inclusion, Infrastructure & Building, and Blue Economy. Key speakers include Nikolas Badminton, Ayumi Moore Aoki (Women in Tech Global), Bibiana Aido (UN Women), Bilel Jamoussi (ITU), and Chiara Corazza (Women's Economic Forum). The event will debut HOWS Barcelona, a global housing summit. Exhibitors include Google, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Dell Technologies, and Deutsche Telekom IoT.

• SCEWC 2026 will be held in Barcelona from November 3-5, 2026.
• Expected attendance: 1,000 cities, 25,000 visitors, 1,000 exhibitors, 600 speakers.
• The event features the first 'HOWS Barcelona' housing summit.

Imaging World moves to Cologne: Koelnmesse and RINGFOTO to jointly manage the photography, video and content creation festival starting in 2027

Koelnmesse expands its event portfolio with the acquisition of Imaging World. RINGFOTO and Koelnmesse to jointly host and organise the established trade fair for photography and video. First edition at the new location to be held from 24 to 26 September 2027 under the new name 'Imaging World inspired by photokina'.

German TV Award Moves Venue for Fresh Presentations

The German Television Award (Deutscher Fernsehpreis) will move its annual ceremony from the MMC studios in Cologne-Ossendorf to the newly opened Confex conference center in Cologne-Deutz. Jan Peter Lacher, RTL representative and chairman of the Fernsehpreis advisory board, cited the award's growth in categories and partners as a reason for the change. Production company Riverside Entertainment will produce the show, aiming to visually connect it with the city of Cologne for TV audiences. The venue offers a central location, a longer red carpet, and space for side events. A new 'Golden Hour' reception with the NRW prime minister and Cologne's mayor will precede the awards. The dress code remains 'Black Tie'.

• The German Television Award ceremony moves from MMC studios to the Confex venue in Cologne.
• The new venue is the Confex, a conference and exhibition center opened two years ago.
• Riverside Entertainment is the production company for the ceremony.

Koelnmesse Makes ISM Its Umbrella Brand

Koelnmesse will reposition the ISM trade fair as a broader umbrella brand. Starting next year, the organiser will run three specialised ISM formats intended to cover all stages of the confectionery value chain. The change includes retiring the Pro Sweets Cologne name. The announcement was reported by Lebensmittelzeitung (Redaktion LZ) on 2026-08-25.

• Koelnmesse will establish ISM as an umbrella brand for its confectionery trade fair.
• From next year, Koelnmesse will stage three specialised ISM formats covering all stages of the value chain.
• The name 'Pro Sweets Cologne' will be discontinued under the new ISM positioning.