This is somehow a surprise: The Photokina team just announced that it will now take place annually as of 2018. One year the event will take place in September and the year after in May. Then again September and then May. So forth so forth…

I am surprised by that move because the photo camera industry slowed down their release circles. Photokina also said that “the entire range of products, applications and services of relevance for imaging shall in future be presented in Cologne”. So maybe the May event will be focused more on “non conventional” photographic tools (virtual reality and so forth).

This is the official press text:

Photokina takes the next step and will take place annually as of 2018. It will in future thus optimally reflect the fast-paced nature and the ever briefer innovation cycles of an increasingly digitalised industry. As of 2019 the trade fair will also have a new date in May. In addition to innovations from the core areas of the imaging workflow, the entire range of products, applications and services of relevance for imaging shall in future be presented in Cologne.

For the 2018 event, only the series of days is changing: it will take place from Wednesday, 26.09. to Saturday, 29.09, and thus enables a more compact, more intensive trade fair experience.

You will learn everything more around the next step of photokina in the recent press release (.pdf) .