FIBO

The first edition in 1985 attracted 69 exhibitors and around 10,000 visitors. By 2000 those numbers had climbed to 450 exhibitors and roughly 69,600 visitors, and in 2019 the fair drew 1,105 exhibitors and about 145,000 visitors, some 84,000 of them trade professionals. According to the organiser's own website, recent editions have hosted over 1,000 exhibitors from 54 nations and around 175,000 visitors from 136 countries, alongside 480 talks and hands-on activities.

Founders Kurt Thelen and Volker Ebener launched FIBO in Cologne in 1985. Ownership passed to Blenheim International Deutschland GmbH, a forerunner of today's Reed Exhibitions Deutschland, in 1990. From 1991 the fair relocated to the Essen exhibition grounds, where it remained until 2012, before returning to Koelnmesse in 2013, where it has stayed ever since.

The name FIBO originally stood for "Fitness und Bodybuilding" (Fitness and Bodybuilding). In 2005 the event split into two brands: "Fibo Power" for bodybuilding, strength and combat sports, and "Fibo" for fitness, wellness and health. Since 2009, health has formed its own dedicated strand, branded "Fibomed" by the organisers. Exhibits range from training equipment, including digital fitness tech, to beauty and health innovations, supplements and nutrition concepts geared toward longevity and a long, healthy life.

According to its own website, FIBO pursues the vision of a strong fitness industry and a healthy society, placing an active, holistically mindful lifestyle at the centre of the event.