It’s the end of an era as Photokina, Europe’s biggest photographic and imaging trade show (and perhaps the world’s oldest), has been suspended by its organizers indefinitely after a very successful 70-year run.

Photokina was first held in Cologne, Germany, in 1950, becoming a biennial event in 1966. After the Photokina 2018 event, the organizing company behind the trade show, Koelnmesse, planned to relaunch the show as an annual event, starting in May 2019, which was then cancelled and planned for May 2020. As the coronavirus spread quickly across the globe and many large events in the photo industry postponed or canceled their shows, Photokina had to cancel again and was planning to relaunch in May 2022.

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As reported by ePHOTOzine tech editor Josh Waller, who had attended Photokina for the past 14 years, “This was always the BIG show, the show you had to attend if you wanted to see all the new cameras in person, before anyone else had seen or even heard of them. You’d get to see prototype cameras, such as the wooden Olympus, as well as prototype mirrorless cameras, before they even existed. It’s a real shame that this event will not be happening again.”

According to Gerald Böse, President and Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse, the framework conditions in the industry do not provide “a viable basis for the leading international trade fair for photography, video and imaging. 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. But we are facing the situation with a clear, honest decision against continuing this event, a decision to which, unfortunately, we have no alternative.”

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As Böse points out, even before the coronavirus pandemic began, the imaging market was already subject to strong upheaval, with annual declines in the double digits. “While there are more photographs taken today than ever before, the integration of smartphone photography and videography, together with image-based communication, e.g. via social media, was not able to cushion the elimination of large segments of the classic market. As a result, the overall situation is not compatible with the quality standards of Photokina as a globally renowned brand representing the highest quality and professionalism in the international imaging market.”

Ultimately, the decision to suspend Photokina “until further notice” was made by Koelnmesse in close coordination with the German Photo Industry Association. Whether or not it ever comes back remains to be seen, as does the possibility of The Photography Show in Birmingham, UK, moving into the now unoccupied slot of “largest photography show in Europe.” The fate of that show, though, also remains to be seen, according to industry reports as the Brexit transition is about to draw to an end and new rules go into effect for citizens, businesses and travel to the UK that will start being enforced after January 1st, 2021.