The Xpost in Cologne offered the Trend a new home after the necessary change of location.
D – New location, trusted concept: After two editions at the Koelnmesse Exhibition Center, this year’s autumn edition of GWW-Trend took place on September 22, 2026, at Xpost in Cologne’s Agnes Quarter. The change of venue became necessary due to the relocation of the PSI trade show to Cologne. The PSI is set to take place at Koelnmesse as of 2027. Xpost – a former parcel distribution centre – offered the organiser, GWW (the German Promotional Products Association), a setting that was both atmospheric (for the pre-event party on the historic ground floor) and functional (for the trade show itself in the exhibition hall upstairs). The fact that an entire parking deck had to be closed due to a structurally unsound ramp was not known during event planning. This led to parking bottlenecks, forcing many visitors to use more distant parking facilities. Some exhibitors also criticised the insufficient number of elevators available to transport stands and materials to the first floor.
However, none of this detracted from the significance of the autumn Trend event as a “family reunion” for the industry. While the GWW has decided not to hold the spring Trend event in 2027, the autumn edition remains to be a key trade show platform prior to the year-end business season. With 134 suppliers, the number of exhibitors remained at the constant level experienced in previous years. GWW-Trend is a must-attend event – not only for manufacturers and importers from the D-A-CH region, but also for many international suppliers – for nurturing contacts within the German promotional products trade. “The German market is becoming increasingly important for us. This is where we meet key influencers, who help raise awareness for our company and products,” stated Joris Jansen van den Berg from the Dutch bag specialists, SL Bags. Aneta Niciak from the Polish manufacturer Refloactive added: “There is huge interest in our reflective products. It is great that we are here.”
Promotional product consultants of all sizes from across Germany gladly seized this opportunity to meet their supplier partners in a relaxed atmosphere. According to the GWW, the event welcomed 433 visitors. While this figure was slightly lower than the attendance figure in 2025 (544), the number of participants expected to attend appears to have been met. “A meet-and-greet featuring good conversations,” noted Martin Gauger from Protorio. “The footfall is right. We were able to set the wheels in motion for projects over the coming months with many of our distributor partners,” said Linus Böll from Troika. The mood in the aisles was also notably relaxed, something that can by no means be taken for granted in a market that remains very strained. Overall, the industry presented itself as experienced and composed.
Clearly, a strong demand remains for the “closed shop” format the “Trend” event has been offering for 40 years among the suppliers and agencies. It is an anniversary that the GWW certainly did not let pass unnoticed, celebrating it in style with its members on the eve of the trade fair. The fact that the DJ was recruited from within the industry is a fitting symbol of the self-reliance of a sector that has consistently supported its own members over the years and decades. // Till Barth
Photos: Till Barth, Mischa Delbrouck, Michael Scherer, © WA Media
