“Unfortunately, at present, the framework conditions in the industry do not provide a viable basis for the leading international trade fair for photography, video and imaging,” according to Gerald Böse, President and Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse. “This hard cut after a 70-year shared history was very difficult for us. The trend in this industry, with which we have always had a close and trusting partnership, is very painful for us to witness.”
The first photokina was held in 1950 and continued annually until 1966, when it became a biennial event. The last photokina was in 2018. A new annual cycle was planned to start in 2019, but this moved to 2020 and was then cancelled after to Covid-19 outbreak.
Even before the coronavirus pandemic began, the imaging market was already subject to strong upheaval, with annual declines in the double digits. This intensified massively in 2020, most recently reporting a decline in the 50 percent range.