BlogTour
BlogTour Cologne – so what’s this one all about? A day-by-day guide
We can’t wait to hop across the pond next week and start sharing all we see while visiting Cologne and Amsterdam and, to provide you with a bit of structure, we thought we’d let you in on our planned itinerary.
You’ll find lots of time spent at IMM Cologne and Living Kitchen but, while trade shows are an important part of BlogTour, we’re also all about local culture. It’s a big world out there and this is our approach in bringing it all a bit closer together.
Welcome to Cologne!
Cologne, with a history of over 2000 years, when it was a Roman village, is one of the oldest cities in Germany and has undergone many changes over the millenia with near total ruin during World War II. Today, Cologne boasts the biggest University in Germany with over 44,000 students and some of Germany’s most important museums and is quickly becoming a beacon of Art and Music in Europe.
Arrival Day Jan 13:
BlogTour Sponsor Blanco will be inviting BlogTour and their own North American Design Council to an opening night dinner at the German Museum of Sports & Olympics. Be sure to follow tweets that day to meet all 27 bloggers, the Blanco folks and Modenus editorial teams from the US, UK and Germany.
Day 1, Jan 14:
A day spent at IMM Cologne with a morning of press tours with our sponsors Blanco, Miele and Axor before we let everyone get on with exploring the show on their own.
IMM Cologne is, with over 1000 exhibitors, one of the largest design shows in the world and adds Living Kitchen as separate Kitchen feature every other year. You’ll be seeing a lot of posts from our group and in Modenus’ previews and live coverage in the weeks ahead.
Our evening will be spend less with design in mind and more with a nod to typical German fare and Gemütlichkeit, courtesy of our sponsor The NKBA. Get used to the word, you’ll be seeing it often and there really isn’t a match in the English language. But, if you need help, think wood paneled pub, pints of beer, great food and the company of new friends and old. Prost!
Day 2, Jan 15:
This day is dedicated to letting the group explore the show. Again, with over 1000 exhibitors with products from low to high end and from Textiles to Technology – we now the inquiring minds that we’re bringing along will need time to absorb all that the show has to offer.
But then, imagine, after two days of walking a show. Yes, your head is reeling with new ideas and input and your feet are….on fire. And not just your feet, so, strategically placed in our itinerary is a spa night, courtesy of BlogTour sponsor Mr. Steam . We will be visiting Claudius Therme for an evening of bathing, massages, ayurveda treatments and a light – for a change – dinner.
We assure you there won’t be any pictures of any of us in bathing suits, so if you need a break from following our live coverage, go get a steam bath somewhere and channel the relaxation we’re enjoying.
Day 3, Jan 16:
Our bloggers will have a morning off to sleep in, after all that stress at the spa, and we’ll meet up with them for a guided tour of city’s great landmark, the Kölner Dom.
One of the masterpieces of Christian architecture, the Dom was completed in pristine Gothic style in 1880 after 600 hundred years of work and we look forward to learn about the story of this embattled city and its symbol.
Following the Dom tour we will turn back to a more modern topic, the Isn’t it Romantic exhibit at the MAK , museum for applied arts, takes a look at modern design between poetry and provocation and we’ll be sure to share our thoughts with our readers on this interesting topic.
Day 4, Jan 17:
And now, a new twist to BlogTour, and sponsored by Modenus, we leave Cologne for another city, Amsterdam. A relatively short 2 1/2 hours from Cologne we will spend the day touring a selection of local design studios and shops, an interview opp with young design talent Sjoerd Vroonland and end with a meetup with a group of Dutch bloggers. The tour is hosted by Eigen Huis & Interieur in collaboration with the team at Meet The Blogger.
That’s it for now but we hope you’ll join us on Twitter and follow #blogtourCGN as well as individual posts from our team via BlogTour at-a-glance.
If you would like to participate in one of our upcoming tours please get in touch:
New York March 19-24
New Orleans April 16-20
London September 19-24
LA October 2-6