Inhorgenta Munich will attract a significantly higher number of exhibitors from February 22 to 25, 2019 than in 2018. This builds on the growth between 2017 and 2018 of four percent. We explore three reasons that make the international trade fair for jewelry, timepieces and gemstones successful.

People love creative ideas

Inhorgenta Munich was first held in February 1973. Without a doubt, there is a long tradition of Munich’s international trade fair for jewelry, timepieces and gemstones. But precisely for this reason it is so important to continuously grow and improve the trade fair as well as identify the latest trends in the industry and showcase them in the exhibition halls. And that is precisely what Inhorgenta Munich does. The trade fair has become one of the most important industry platforms in Europe – attracting some 27,000 visitors to the six halls in Munich, where they can see all the latest items in the jewelry and timepiece industry.

“My team and I always try to meet the needs of our exhibitors and visitors;” says Exhibition Director Stefanie Mändlein. Events have recently been organized that are helping make Inhorgenta Munich a year-round platform for the industry. Yet it is especially during the four days of the trade show that the Munich team dazzle with creative ideas.

Stefanie Mändlein

In 2019, a lot of people will surely be talking about the new Watch Boutique. In the middle of Timepiece Hall A1, which covers 11,000 square meters, eight exhibitors (Alexander Shorokhoff, Ebel, MeisterSinger, Michel Herbelin, Mühle-Glashütte, Sinn Spezialuhren, Staudt Watches and Tutima Glashütte) will showcase their latest models and collections. The centerpiece of the Watch Boutique will be a roundtable where members of the industry will get together each day and discuss the latest developments in the timepiece industry. A bar with a lounge-like atmosphere will accentuate the boutique, which evokes the style of the Doge’s Palace in Venice.

In addition, Bruno Söhnle of Glashütte, Germany and famous Swiss watchmaker Maurice Lacroix will be at the 2019 Inhorgenta Munich after absences in recent years. The Citizen Group will present both its main brand and the subsidiary brands Frédérique Constant, Alpina and Bulova. Garmin, the renowned manufacturer of smartwatches, will attend for the first time.

Watch Boutique Inhorgenta Munich 2019; Design and Rendering: ARNO Design

The Inhorgenta award - a source of inspiration for the industry

The Inhorgenta award was presented on February 19, 2017 for the first time ever. This honor for the best designs and concepts in the international jewelry and timepiece segment has quickly made a name for itself. Largely due to the downright magical appeal of the glamorous event, many stars and media representatives attend. In turn, the award show attracts the attention of many people beyond the world of jewelry and timepieces. “We’re truly delighted that the industry regards the award as a real seal of quality,” says Klaus Dittrich, Chairman and CEO of Messe München.

On the evening of the award show, Inhorgenta Munich will glitter and sparkle even a bit more than usual. “Everybody wants to attend this event. The demand is tremendous!” says Exhibition Director Stefanie Mändlein. The gala on February 24, 2019 means that TV teams, photographers and journalists will once again jostle each other near the red carpet. Two prominent figures in attendance will be top model Franziska Knuppe and German actress Bettina Zimmermann, who is also highly visible in Germany thanks to her TV ads with Liverpool trainer Jürgen Klopp. Knuppe and Zimmermann are members of the eight-person jury, which will award a 3.5-kilogram trophy to each winner in eight categories.

Smartwatches at Inhorgenta 2018

Digitalization is used as a driver

It stopped being a secret long ago that society is changing – and so too is the jewelry and timepiece segment. The process of digital transformation continues; it is surely one of the greatest challenges for all market players. Inhorgenta Munich leverages digitalization as a driver for the trade fair and, by extension, for the industry. This will be clear at Munich’s international trade fair for jewelry, timepieces and gemstones in 2019, too. All 27,000 or so visitors to the trade fair will be impressed by just how ideally traditional handicraft and technological innovations complement each other. Hall A2, in particular, will showcase a broad spectrum of innovations.

“In Hall A2, jewelers, watchmakers, goldsmiths and designers will gain valuable insights into how innovative technologies will permanently change processes and products – and which opportunities will arise as a result. What’s more, visitors will find everything they need at the trade fair to operate a successful business, day after day,” adds Mändlein. To name just two highlights: using 3D printing or engraving robots to make jewelry.