The Trade Fair in its Infancy

Along with the traditional German trade fairs in Leipzig and Frankfurt, the Cologne Trade Fair carved out an important position for itself. Specialized fairs in the areas of food, furniture and household goods showed even then that Cologne recognized important developments in fairs and exhibitions at an early stage. The high point of these first steps in the development of the trade fair company was the organization of a media exhibition entitled "Pressa" in 1928. This brought global attention to Cologne and thus contributed to the fact that the people of the city identified all the more with the fair and its importance for the city and region. Specifically for "Pressa", the trade fair halls were expanded to 66,000 square meters and provided with a brick fa�ade. The re-designed Rheinhallen (Rhineside halls) and the striking fair tower dominate the image of the fair in K�ln am Rhein to this very day.