It was expected the next Photokina event would take place in May 2019, but plans have changed. According to the German Photo Industry Association, conceptual sponsor of the trade fair, and Koelnmesse, the event’s organizer, the 2019 Photokina event has been cancelled and the next Photokina event will take place from Wednesday May 27th, 2020 through May 30th, 2020.
Below you can find the explanation from the announcement :
Following a successful photokina 2018, the German Photo Industry Association (PIV), as conceptual sponsor of the trade fair, and the event’s organiser Koelnmesse have agreed not to organise the next leading global trade fair in May 2019, as initially planned, but in May 2020. From Wednesday 27 May 2020 to Saturday 30 May 2020, all the market leaders in the imaging industry are expected once again in Cologne.
The decision to postpone the start of the announced annual cycle by one year is intended to give all participants the opportunity to further develop the new concept for photokina and to tap into new target groups among exhibitors and visitors in order to heighten the status of the trade fair as a global platform for the photography and imaging industry.
Full press release can be found here