After four days, the co-located events aquanale and FSB drew to a successful close on Friday, 27 October 2023. The two leading International Trade Fairs for Swimming Pools and Wellness and for Public Space, Sports and Leisure Facilities attracted an audience of around 25,00 trade visitors from 123 countries to Cologne. In total, 824 exhibitors from 45 countries presented pioneering products, technologies and concepts. The trade fairs’ clear focus on sustainability caught the spirit of the times.
The excellent atmosphere in the trade fair halles was clear evidence of the tremendous response to the events, which was also reflected in the impressive figures. After a successful relaunch under challenging circumstances in 2021, this year, the trade fairs returned to the level of the strong results achieved in 2019. The co-located events attracted a total of 824 participating exhibitors from 45 countries.
„We’re delighted that aquanale and FSB are able to build on the successes we achieved before the pandemic. Both trade fairs have impressively consolidated their leading positions as international industry platforms. At the same time, we’re proud to keep on driving the future development of these sectors forward as a crucial market partner. Issues such as sustainability, energy efficiency and resource conservation are bigger concern for insustry participants than ever before and need to be discussed as a matter of urgency. aquanale and FSB have fulfilled this mission completely,” said Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse GmbH.
Compared to the previous edition, the co-located events once again reported significant growth in their visitors numbers. Taking estimates for the last day of the trade fairs into account, around 25,000 visitors from 123 countries attended aquanale and FSB. This represents a rise in visitors numbers of 56 pe cent compared to 2021, putting them on a par with the results achieved in 2019. Both events also strengthened the international profile of their trade audience, with visitors from outside Germany accounting for approximately 60 per cent. Alongside Germany, the countries with the highest numbers of visitors were the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Italy and the United Kingdom.
aquanale once again attracted almost the entire line-up of the German and international market leaders. Around 272 exhibitors from 31 countries presented new products and designs for constructing modern, sustainable and innovative swimming pool and wellness facilities. From energy efficiency and water management to digitalisation and shortage of skilled workers, the trade fair responded to the latest topics and trends, and impressed visitors with a diverse event programme.
The event’s partners from the industry and the retail sector were also very satisfied with the trade fair. Dietmar Rogg, President of the German Federal Association for Swimmingpool Pools and Wellness (bsw), which serves as aquanale’s conceptual sponsor, emphasised this in verdict on the trade fair: „Once again, aquanale was a complete success. This edition is yet further proof that, every two years, Cologne becomes the place to be for the industry and a forum with international appeal. It is presented in a unique exhibition. We’re already looking forward to supporting aquanale again in 2025 with our expertise,” said Rogg.
Central to the programme was the 10th International Swimming Pool and Wellness Forum, at which issues such as sustainability, the new EU energy standard and the shortage of skilled workers were discussed. As part of the forum, aquanale’s partner country Switzerland also shared interesting insights into how it is tackling current challenges.
The highlight of the first day of the trade fair was the presentation of 202 EUSA Awards for the best swimmingpools in Europe.
Follow this link to more than 500 photos from aquanale 2023.
In 2025, aquanale and FSB will return to the Koelnmesse fairgrounds from 28 to 31 October.