THE TIRE COLOGNE 2026 OFFERS A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON THE INDUSTRY’S TRANSFORMATION

With around 400 exhibitors from 33 countries and approximately 14,600 visitors from 110 countries, THE TIRE COLOGNE 2026 once again confirmed its position as one of the leading international trade fairs for the tire and wheel industry.

The global importance of the exhibition was underlined by its high proportion of international visitors, with two-thirds of attendees coming from abroad. THE TIRE COLOGNE is increasingly evolving from a purely product-focused exhibition into a platform where the industry’s defining topics are discussed, innovations are made visible, and new perspectives for growth and competitiveness are presented.

Oliver Frese, Chief Operating Officer of Koelnmesse, stated:

“The challenges facing the industry are becoming increasingly complex and global. This makes platforms that provide guidance, bring knowledge together, and enable exchange between business, politics and science more important than ever. THE TIRE COLOGNE fulfills exactly this role for the tire and wheel industry.“

WALK OF SERVICES Makes a Strong Impact on the Market

WALK OF SERVICES highlighted how much the industry has evolved. Building on the strong core business of tires and workshop equipment, digital solutions and additional services are creating new opportunities for growth and success.

The strong response was particularly reflected in the 5% increase in German visitors and the higher level of participation from specialized tire retailers and workshop professionals.

With 147 exhibiting companies, including 44 first-time exhibitors, WALK OF SERVICES became one of the most dynamic formats of THE TIRE COLOGNE 2026. Its focus was on workforce solutions, systems and process solutions, tire service and workshop technology, automotive services, as well as waste disposal and sustainability.

Stephan Helm, President of the German Federal Association of Tire Retail and Vulcanization (BRV), commented:

“With WALK OF SERVICES, THE TIRE COLOGNE has created a platform that offers practical solutions and new perspectives for the trade and workshops. The high level of participation and the strong interest from visitors clearly confirm how important this concept is for the industry.“

Cooperation with the Global OTR Conference Strengthens the Specialty Tire Segment

One of the highlights of the event programme was the cooperation with the Global OTR Conference. The event brought together leading experts from the off-the-road segment and provided valuable insights into market trends, sustainability strategies, safety, digitalization and the future of specialty tires.

These topics were addressed not as isolated trends, but as closely connected developments that will play a decisive role in shaping the competitiveness of companies in the future.

Circular Economy Becomes a Success Factor

One of the key themes highlighted throughout the exhibition was the circular economy. Questions surrounding resource efficiency, recycling, retreading and circular value chains were the focus of numerous conferences, panel discussions and exhibitor presentations.

In this context, the INNOVATION LAB also provided practical insights. Live demonstrations enabled visitors to experience innovative technologies first-hand and showed how digital solutions can contribute to greater efficiency and create new business opportunities in the future. Particular attention was given to RFID-based ecosystems, which provide new possibilities for transparency, process control and data-driven services throughout the tire lifecycle.

The participation of Oliver Krischer, Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia, underlined the growing economic and political importance of these developments. Within the context of the exhibition, he emphasized the central role of circular value chains in creating a future-ready industry and praised THE TIRE COLOGNE as a platform for exchanging ideas on practical solutions and new economic perspectives.

The next edition of THE TIRE COLOGNE will take place in Cologne from 30 May to 1 June 2028.

THE TIRE COLOGNE is the leading international trade fair for the tire and wheel industry. In addition to tire retail and automotive services, it increasingly brings together companies from the manufacturing, recycling and sustainable resource management sectors. The industry’s sponsoring association is the Bundesverband Reifenhandel und Vulkaniseur-Handwerk e.V. (BRV), the German Federal Association of Tire Retail and Vulcanization.