Questions and answers about h+h cologne @home

You will find images of h+h cologne and h+h cologne @home in our image database.

We understand your disappointment regarding the cancelation of h+h cologne 2021. We are disappointed, too, because we’d hoped to operate a physical show in March in Cologne. Unfortunately, at the moment the operation of trade fairs in Germany isn’t allowed and because of the bad figures and the slow progress with vaccination we have very little hope that the situation will be any different in March.

To give as much planning reliability as possible to exhibitors, visitors, service providers and partners we decided with a heavy heart not to wait for the official prohibition but to cancel the physical event at this point. Waiting for the official decision would have meant having to cancel the physical event with very short notice (official decisions are taken anew every few weeks) which would have caused even more inconveniences. On the other hand, we didn’t cancel earlier because we hoped for a positive development of the situation which unfortunately didn’t occur.

We apologize for the trouble caused.

Nevertheless, we hope that you will join our digital event instead to make successful new contacts, learn about new products and inform yourself about the latest trends.

h+h cologne @home is our new digital trade fair platform. It allows the industry to present its products and services in a target manner using newly developed formats and creative online solutions. Furthermore, it offers all the advantages of a classic trade fair: One can meet up here, network with important decision-makers, get to know the latest trends and attain digital exposure.

We will present the latest trends and product innovations to you via this new and extensive, digital marketplace. This is where the international handiwork industry comes together to showcase its creative diversity online.

We consider a digital version of h+h cologne to be the only reasonable solution for protecting our exhibitors and trade visitors during the pandemic and at the same time offer them all the possibility to engage in an exchange at the industry event, inform themselves, discuss trends and of course converse with their customers and business partners. This is why we have developed h+h cologne @home to create a platform for your business.

In order to receive current information, we recommend that you subscribe to our newsletter. You can register here to receive our regular h+h cologne @home visitor newsletter free of charge.

The link to h+h cologne @home is https://home.hh-cologne.de

The log-in to h+h cologne @home is possible as of the beginning of March. Beforehand you can acquaint yourself with the event programme, choose your favourite programme items and thus ensure that you don't miss out on any highlights. The exhibitor profile is then also visible to everyone. Furthermore, the workshop programme and other participants are also visible. It is also possible to make appointments already and you can contact other participants and exhibitors per text chat and also arrange audio/video meetings across the platform in advance. Furthermore, as an exhibitor you can view and download the visitor database too.

There are no co-exhibitors at h+h cologne @home. All exhibitors are main exhibitors. In order to be listed as an exhibitor, you have to book one of our packages . Alternatively, you can purchase a visitor ticket and discover h+h cologne @home as a trade visitor.

You can find the necessary documents to apply as a participant for h+h cologne @home here. In addition, you can find out about the possibilities of your digital trade fair presence here.

You will find an overview of the participating exhibitors at h+h cologne @home in the exhibitor search.

Yes, h+h cologne @home is for trade visitors only. The industry and trade affiliation of trade visitors must be verified on purchasing an admission ticket in the Ticket Shop. As legitimation trade visitors have to provide a trade register excerpt, trade license or other suitable documentation.

h+h cologne @home is being staged from 26.-28.03.2021. The platform can however also be used afterwards to hold meetings or call up contents anew. You can already use the platform from the beginning of March onwards to inform yourself, arrange appointments or note down the programme items in your personal diary. The only prerequisite: You must have registered by the last day of the trade fair. Unfortunately, it is not possible to register after that.

Unfortunately, due to data protection laws, it is not possible for us to process the orders by telephone. Please visit the ticket shop of h+h cologne @home.

All information on the ticket prices and types of tickets for h+h cologne @home can be found here.

You need a valid ticket for h+h cologne @home in order to participate. Tickets are available in our ticket shop.

The h+h cologne is the world's most important international trade fair for the textile handicrafts sector. For many years now, more and more visitors and exhibiting companies have been coming to Cologne to meet, exchange ideas and do business on the industry's most important business platform. We want to use this know-how to make our digital marketplace as successful as possible.

Of course, we don't expect to reach as many visitors digitally right from the start as the grown trade fair in Cologne can. But our aim is to reach several thousand visitors. In addition, the digital platform offers our exhibitors the chance to address new target groups that have not been reached so far. For h+h cologne @home, we will implement extensive communication measures to ensure that our digital trade fair and supporting content receive as much attention as possible. As h+h cologne @home is a completely digital product, we will focus our marketing efforts on digital channels such as display (e.g. via the Google Display Network), search engine marketing and social media (e.g. Facebook/Instagram). This also includes addressing and activating our loyal community on Facebook & co. But of course, we are also dependent on the support of our exhibitors. As with a h+h cologne that takes place physically in Cologne, the same applies to the digital edition of the fair: The more exhibitors invite their customers to visit, the higher the traffic will be.

The access data will be sent out from the beginning of March.

The h+h cologne @home does not have a special offer for start-ups. We have intentionally designed our basic offer so attractively that start-ups and smaller companies in particular can participate without any problems. After all, there is currently no funding for digital trade fairs from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy either.

Yes, theoretically a trade visitor can switch off networking. However, he cannot then contact other people himself. And to prevent "industrial spying", exhibitors are always shown all visitors to their own showroom.

We will open the platform for trade visitors a few days before the actual start of the fair. This will allow you to familiarise yourself with the functionalities. You will then already be able to look around on the platform, maintain your personal profile, bookmark exhibitors and programme items or make appointments. Only the video chat functions are not active at this time.

The contingent of visitor tickets that exhibiting companies have booked will be sent out at the beginning of March. If you need more tickets, you can order them on the website for 20 euros each. All ticktes are valid for the entire duration of the fair, that means from the Soft Opening in mid-March until about 3 months after the event.

In order to be able to use all the functions as an exhibitor and to fill in the data in advance, you should have registered by 12 March.

There are special advertising packages, there is however limited availability, since the number of digital advertising spaces is of course limited. We offer three different packages. Here you can find information about the advertising packages and a booking form .

h+h cologne is taking place from 26.–28.03.2021. The regular opening hours of the offers of Koelnmesse are daily from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. However, you are at liberty to offer other "attendance times". You can post a corresponding notice in your Showroom. This would enable you to meet up earlier or later with customers, who for example dial in to the platform from a different time zone.

Incidentally: You can carry on using all of the functions of h+h cologne @home for at least 3 months after the trade fair. And you can also take part in further meetings on the platform. The only Prerequisite: You have to have registered by the last day of the trade fair. Unfortunately, it is not possible to register after that.

The lobby is your starting area after logging in. It fulfils two functions: It is the navigation centre and offers an overview of innovations. The perfect starting point to all other gladly visited sections, such as your personal Dashboard, Virtual Cafés, Round Tables or the exhibition areas of the companies.

The Show Floor at h+h cologne @home is the counterpart to the exhibition hall. From here access to the different stands of the exhibitors, the so-called "Showroom", is possible. Large "Brand Cards", i.e. attention-grabbing information cards bearing a logo and information on the individual exhibitors makes the search easy.

No. An individual selection of the interactions is not possible.

A top listing is always found in the Showroom above the regular list of exhibitors in alphabetical order. You can book a top listing of your Brand Card, if you have booked the BEST package. If you have ordered a "Top of the List", your Brand Card will always appear in first, second or third place in the Showroom, above the regular, alphabetical list of exhibitors.

The Showroom is the place at h+h cologne @home, where exhibitors can introduce themselves and where visitors can inform themselves - like at an exhibitor stand on-site. There is room here for all important information about the companies and their brands, services and new products.

The Showroom is interactive and individually designed, so that in addition to the brand-compatible presentation of new and existing products, it is also possible to engage in a direct exchange with the exhibitor team via the so-called "Talk to me" function. In a public text chat, visitors can communicate live with the exhibitors at the trade fair, arrange appointments and download further supporting material such as videos, photos, product brochures and other PDFs in the audio/video room or find links to interesting sessions on the creative business.

You can fill the platform with your contents from Mid-February or beginning of March onwards.

You can fill the platform with your contents from Mid-February or beginning of March onwards and then of course test it thoroughly.

The link you receive when registering is generated in such a way that it does NOT have to be unblocked again using a password. The link is hashed in such a way that it can't be guessed either. That offers the advantage that third parties such as agencies can also maintain the profile.

Can an exhibitor see from his overview which employees are currently in a meeting? The platform doesn't have a calendar view of/about/on other participants at present. We won't be able to offer this feature until the next version appears. However, one does see from the "dot" in the profile photo whether a person is currently available or not.

You can find an overview here with all of the requirements (.pdf) for your files.

Because you can upload as many files as you like, you can make use of the opportunity to offer your product information in all the languages you usually offer them to your customers in. The platform language can be set to either German or English. However, the language cannot be distinguished between for the logos and uploaded multimedia files of exhibitors.

Yes. Exhibitors can place external URLs and links to their social media channels.

The number of files is not limited, you can upload as many files as you like. However, the files may not be bigger than 500 MB. A link to external pages is also possible.

We recommend you not to show videos per screen share, because - like most common platforms - the current version of h+h cologne @home doesn't have a high resolution or good sound quality in such cases. h+h cologne @home doesn't currently support a second audio stream via the A/V Room. For added comfort and better sound quality we recommend that participants use external microphones and earphones. Unfortunately (and this isn't an h+h cologne @home-specific topic), most browsers are not able to switch over the audio input from the headset to the computer when a video is played. This is why we would kindly ask you not to screenshare audio/video files. Opt for the personal dialogue in this case instead to address your customers and discussion partners individually to convince them about your product or services.

If you deactivate the network function in your dashboard, your contacts are still there, but as long as the button is deactivated, you can't contact your customers.

The platform doesn't have a calendar view of/about/on other participants at present. We won't be able to offer this feature until the next version appears. However, one does see from the "dot" in the profile photo whether a person is currently available or not.

Our Main Stage at the h+h cologne @home is called Talksofa . Here you will find the exclusive programme of lectures and discussions. Streamed from the Koelnmesse Studio, top-class guests will provide plenty of impetus and insights into the creative scene. As usual, questions can also be asked digitally at the Talksofa at any time. To do so, you can simply use the chat function, which we offer directly on the site. If you don't have time to attend a talk live on Talksofa, you can still watch the talks on demand after the first broadcast. This is particularly practical for professional audiences in other time zones.

New products and highlights can be presented on the Product Stage at h+h cologne @home and experienced by the trade visitors, who want to receive information about the latest new products. Access to pre-produced (video) content enables a good initial view of the products. New products and highlights are presented here in action.

The pre-recorded content for the Product Days should reach us by March 12 at the latest.

That depends on the target group you want to reach. For example, if you predominantly want to inform the German specialised trade, we would recommend you address your audience in German. If you also want to reach an international audience, English proves to be the best language.

The Round Table is an audio & video room, where exhibitors and visitors meet up for exclusive company events or meetings - whether in the scope of an influencer or press event, a product demo for handicraft products, a creative workshop or a customer appointment with up to 100 participants.

Access is only possible upon invitation by the exhibitors and is communicated as an official programme item in the calendar. Exhibitors can invite the guests independently. So that everything can be arranged as flexibly as possible, exhibitors can also grant visitors access to their meeting or events spontaneously.

The individual audio/video meetings for up to 10 people are only allowed to last a maximum of 60 minutes, after that everyone must dial in again.

Yes, as a Round Table host you have more rights than the participants you have invited to take part. For example, you can mute, exclude or even permanently block the participants.

You can engage in a dialogue with exhibitors, top decision-makers, buyers and industry experts of the hobby and handicraft industry in a Virtual Café , groom personal contacts, network or simply have a relaxed chat. This will create the trade fair feeling you are accustomed to.

All registered users have free access to the chat rooms of the Virtual Café and can take part in a wide range of audio and video chats on selected themes. The Virtual Café is open the whole day. The chats are limited down to a maximum of 20 participants simultaneously, so nobody loses the overview of the chats and to enable efficient and personal networking.

h+h cologne @home only works with a browser resolution of 1024x576 pixels or higher. So, please set your browser resolution to at least 1024x576 pixels. Otherwise, an error notification will appear on your screen.

Simple solution: Click on the 3 points in Chrome Browse and reduce the browser zoom level until the log-in screen appears.

There are plenty of ways to contact someone at h+h cologne @home. For instance, you can arrange meetings with every exhibitor (as an audio or video chat). You can also view contact data (if this is activated) and network directly with an interesting customer. You can also talk to and network with many guests in the scope of the Virtual Cafés or Round Tables. You can then make use of these contacts for your further business relations.

Audio/video calls will be possible once the event begins on March 26, 2021. No meetings can be held on the platform before the official start of h+h cologne @home.

We are trying to transfer the event programme of h+h cologne in all its diversity over to the digital platform as far as possible to offer you the highest additional benefit possible. A current programme overview will be available soon.

You can carry on using all the functions of h+h cologne @home for at least 3 months after the trade fair. And you can also take part in further meetings on the platform. The only prerequisite: You have to have registered by the last day of the trade fair. Unfortunately, it is not possible to register after that.

The list of exhibitors can also be found on the h+h cologne website.

No, there is no possibility to generate a 3-D stand. However, information, images and videos can be uploaded in various formats. It is also possible to link to external files and pages, which can then also contain 3-D objects.

To participate in h+h cologne @home, all you need is a PC or laptop and a stable standard internet connection. The use of a headset would also be helpful. For participation in the Virtual Cafes and the Roundtables, Chrome has also proven to be a good browser. When visiting the platform for the first time, it is best to run the system check offered on the site, which checks if everything is ok. It is therefore a good idea to visit the platform a few days before the fair to test everything, fill in your profile and become familiar with the tool.

In principle, you can imagine the Round Table as a large Zoom or Teams room. The features are quite similar. Some things work better, others not so well.

Everyone, whether organiser or visitor, who turns on the camera can also be seen in the room. For reasons of clarity, however, only a maximum of 16 screens can be displayed at the same time. Whoever is speaking is visible in any case. As soon as you share your screen, the presentation is displayed large on the screens of the other participants and the video windows are minimised.

Our tip: When you share your screen, concentrate on the presentation and leave the observation of the chat to a colleague. Otherwise you run the risk of losing the overall view very quickly.

All participants must register on the platform in advance to be able to take part in your event. External participants can therefore not be "added externally" during the event. This is a completely different technique.

By the way: Around 15 minutes before the start, someone from your team should be in the back office of your exhibitor room to admit visitors. All staff members who are assigned to you as an exhibitor and are in the room are marked as moderators with a little crown. They - and only they - can also mute participants, refer them out of the current event or exclude them from all your events. Because you are the host of the event and decide who may participate and who may not.

The language should be included in the title of the round table. It will then be visible to everyone in the programme. There is no automatic simultaneous translation. You decide in which language you hold your round table event.

Yes, we do indeed recommend not showing videos via "share screen", as this would be too poor in quality. But there are other possibilities. One is to put the video on an external site (YouTube or similar) and post the link to the video in the chat. Your "counterpart" clicks on the link and can then watch the video in an external window.

Or you can post the video in your showroom. The customer can then watch it there on their own.

Yes, this is possible without any problems. We only advise against transmitting videos at the same time, as this has a negative impact on the transmission quality.

Yes, the moderator can do that. Just like in a Zoom or Teams meeting.

You can schedule meetings - even without RoundTable with up to 10 people. Technically the same as in the Roundtable (chat, video chat, screen sharing, etc.), only for max. 10 participants. The only difference to the RoundTable is that you can only leave the meeting, but not mute or kick anyone out.

In the interest of better scheduling, the slots are always designed for 10 minutes. If your video is shorter, you can still talk to your customers for up to 10 minutes and exchange ideas. Then the video stops and they can stay and talk afterwards. But here there is only a text chat.

That is correct. You can't do video chats while the video is running. What is meant by this is that after the product demonstration you can switch to a "private" audio or video chat and discuss things.

The h+h cologne @home was developed for use on the desktop. However, many of the functions can also be used via our official h+h cologne app. But you will only get the full range of functions and an unadulterated trade fair experience if you use a PC or laptop.

The h+h cologne @home was developed for use on the desktop. However, many of the functions can also be used via our official h+h cologne app. But you will only get the full range of functions and an unadulterated trade fair experience if you use a PC or laptop.