Going to h+h cologne 2026? Here’s How to Prepare (Beyond Packing Your Tote Bag)
Sewing is emotional and private. Trade fairs are public and commercial.
And somehow, if we want to keep creating TAUKO Magazine, we absolutely need both.
From 20–22 March 2026, we’re heading to Cologne again. And yes, the whole INDUSTRY will be there. Fabric producers, yarn brands, tool innovators, retailers, distributors, consultants, press. It’s a bit like stepping into the group chat of the global craft world, except everyone is wearing comfortable shoes and carrying tote bags filled with catalogues.
For exhibitors, it’s a stage for launches and orders. For visitors, it’s three dense days of talks, workshops and trend-spotting. And this year, I’ll also be there as a keynote speaker, which feels both exciting and slightly surreal.
Here’s a little sneak peek into how we prepare, and it will help you plan your visit too.
Visitor or Exhibitor? (Choose Your Adventure)
Over the past three years, we’ve attended as both.
As a visitor, you have freedom. You can wander. You can spend an entire morning discovering a new fabric brand. You can sit in on talks, have spontaneous conversations, drink coffee in the sun outside the halls and pretend you are just “observing the industry” while secretly analysing everything.
The major con? You don’t have a stand.
As an exhibitor, you have a stand. Which sounds glamorous until you realise it also means you mostly stay in one place. But that one pro, having your own physical anchor in the middle of the fair, is powerful enough that we’ve decided to exhibit again this year.
You will find us at Hall 11.2 | P045.
It changes the dynamic completely. People come to you and you can host. Your work has a home. We are happy to be able to offer a space for the community to meet up and if you are in Cologne, please drop by! These are our unofficial meetup times, where you can sign up and see who else is coming.
Saturday, Mar 21 at 13:00 Sign up link: HERE
Saturday, Mar 21 at 17:00 Sign up link: HERE
Sunday, Mar 22 at 12:00 Sign up link: HERE
Do Your Homework
This is the unromantic but essential part, which you need to do before you can allow yourself to start sewing your fair outfit (also important!).
Check who’s exhibiting. Check who’s speaking. Make a short list of people you genuinely want to meet. Then write those emails, and the reminders, and continue until you get an answer.
At h+h, spontaneous short (!) conversations are very possible and I’ve made many new friends like that. But you won’t magically bump into everyone you admire. A little preparation opens doors.
Curiosity gets you far. Preparation gets you further.
Check Yourself Before You Wreck Yourself
Ask yourself honestly to prioritise:
Why am I going?
To find retailers?
To understand trends?
To source fabrics?
To find collaboration partners?
To “smell the air” of the industry?
To meet a sewing friend?
To spread TAUKO awareness (yes! everyone!)?
Many people attend trade fairs reactively. They collect brochures, scan business cards, talk to everyone, and leave slightly overstimulated and oddly empty-handed.
If you have two or three days, give yourself one day to absorb freely. Then set your compass. Otherwise, the halls will set it for you.
Prepare Your Story
You also need to introduce yourself. Not just what you do, but how and why.
You don’t need to be loud. You don’t need to be pushy. But you do need to be clear. People remember passion. They remember sincerity. They remember when someone speaks about their work with grounded conviction.
Independent brands often undersell themselves because they are too close to their own process. A trade fair is not the moment to improvise your message.
Practice your 30-second introduction.
Refine it.
Make it simple and honest.
You are not pitching. You are inviting someone into your world.
Read the Room
This is my favourite part.
Sometimes I step aside, get a coffee and simply watch the stream of people passing by. Who is here? What conversations repeat? How visible is sustainability, and how concrete are those claims? Is there true innovation, or careful consolidation? How are younger audiences being addressed?
Trade fairs are living indicators of where the industry is heading and this is a good time also to reflect on your position in it. What is your role? A change maker? A supporter?
Listen carefully. Patterns reveal themselves.
You are not only there to present your work. You are there to observe.
Protect Your Energy (Seriously)
Trade fairs are loud. Bright. Intense. And full of people you never met before.
Schedule breaks. Go outside. In my experience, Cologne is sunny during h+h. Let your face meet actual daylight.
Eat properly. Drink water. After-parties are optional. Sleeping is powerful.
Each evening, take ten minutes to reflect:
What felt aligned?
Which conversations mattered?
What surprised you?
Leave Space for Magic
Preparation is essential. But if everything is scheduled down to the minute, there is no room for serendipity.
Some of the most meaningful exchanges happen in corridors, in queues, between stands. Stay open. Stay curious.
Community cannot be forced. It can only be met halfway.
Holding Craft and Business Together
Sewing is the fire. Business keeps it burning and you can choose how.
The real challenge is not choosing one over the other. It is learning how to navigate yourself in the world of trends and fast seeking profits without losing your core, building structures that allow creativity and kindness to flourish rather than shrink.
If you’re heading to Cologne this March, go as both maker and entrepreneur. Go prepared. Go curious. Go human.
The future of handicrafts will not be built only on stages or in meeting rooms. It will be shaped in conversations between people who care deeply about what they create.
See you in Cologne!
