About IDS (International Dental Show)
For more than a century, the International Dental Show in Cologne has served as the dental industry's main international platform. It is held every two years at Koelnmesse and brings together manufacturers and suppliers from across the whole dental supply chain. The show is organised by GFDI, the commercial company of the Association of German Dental Manufacturers (VDDI), and staged by Koelnmesse.
Exhibitors cover everything used in a dental practice or laboratory: treatment units and instruments, consumables, implants, imaging, CAD/CAM and digital workflow systems, dental technology and practice services. A large majority of exhibiting companies come from outside Germany, which gives the show a strongly international character.
IDS is a trade event. Dentists, dental technicians, practice teams, dental dealers and industry buyers make up the audience, travelling from well over a hundred countries. Many visitors come with purchasing or distribution decisions in mind, and dealers use the week to review ranges and agree terms with manufacturers.
Because it only takes place every other year, IDS tends to be the point at which manufacturers launch new products and show the direction of their ranges. That makes it valuable both for established brands that need to be seen alongside their competitors and for smaller specialists looking for distributors in new markets. Hands-on demonstration matters here, as clinicians and technicians want to handle instruments and watch digital systems working before they commit.
Next edition
IDS (International Dental Show) 2027: what to expect
The 42nd IDS runs from 16 to 20 March 2027 at Koelnmesse in Cologne. Online applications for exhibition space are made through the official IDS website.
For scale, the organisers reported that the 2025 show brought together 2,010 exhibitors from 61 countries, of which 1,547 came from outside Germany, and 135,267 visitors from 156 countries, across 180,000 square metres in seven halls.
Over five days, exhibitors can split their focus between clinician demonstrations and structured meetings with dealers and importers. Live CAD/CAM, scanning and imaging demonstrations need reliable power and data connections, so confirm these in the technical services order. Cologne hotels fill early for IDS week, which is worth bearing in mind for stand staff and build crews.