Foris Hortus Prepares for SPOGA+GAFA Cologne 2025: Starting Anew to Show Its Strength in Commercial Sunshades with a New Large Umbrella
A Bold Reset: Abandoning Old Plans to Embark on a New R&D Journey
Foris Hortus, an outdoor sunshade brand, is fully preparing for the 2025 SPOGA+GAFA International Exhibition in Cologne, Germany, which will be held in June. As a top global event in the outdoor industry, this exhibition is a key platform for the brand to connect with the global market and showcase its strength. To put its best foot forward, the brand kicked off its preparation work early, and even experienced a bold decision-making turn along the way.
As early as the end of 2024, more than half a year before the exhibition, Foris Hortus set up a special team, finalized the exhibition plan, and steadily advanced everything from products and booth design to promotional materials, hoping to expand the European market and connect with global partners through this exhibition.
In February 2025, a lively discussion disrupted the original rhythm: after re-evaluating the market, the team found that the demand for sunshades in commercial scenarios was growing by leaps and bounds, and the high-end commercial sunshade market had huge potential. However, the original exhibition plan struggled to stand out from the crowd and could not meet the needs of the upgrading market.
After several relaxed yet in-depth discussions, Foris Hortus made a bold call: to completely scrap the preparation results of the past six months, focus all its core resources on creating a brand-new commercial large umbrella, take it as a special "answer sheet" for the Cologne exhibition, and also show off the brand’s strength and ingenuity in the commercial sunshade field in a casual way~
Foris Hortus: A Bold Reset in Preparation for Cologne SPOGA+GAFA 2025
Developing such a large umbrella was by no means an easy task; the first and foremost challenge to address was the load-bearing issue caused by the enormous umbrella surface. To tackle this core problem, the R&D team conducted numerous experiments and tests. After repeated iterations and improvements, they thickened the thickness of the aluminum vertical pole from the traditional 2mm to 5mm, and the aluminum diagonal pull rod was also thickened to 4mm. In addition, a super double diagonal arm structure was adopted to further enhance the stability of the umbrella, ensuring it could withstand various outdoor conditions and meet the rigorous demands of commercial use.
Super Double Diagonal Arm Structure
The Joint Between The Diagonal Pole And The Umbrella Fabric
comfortably all day long. Rain or shine, it holds up beautifully, taking on daily commercial use with zero fuss.
A 90-Day Innovation Journey: The Birth of a Commercial Sunshade Reinvented
After three months of relentless effort, this umbrella finally took its full form before our eyes. Unlike a standard Roman umbrella, its center of gravity is shifted backward, and the crank handle is not mounted on the pole — a thoughtful design that not only makes opening and closing smoother but also reduces stress on the main shaft, boosting overall stability and durability.
From Pixels to Reality: How We Built Our Perfect Booth in 3D
From digital screens to the exhibition floor, we were determined to nail every detail of our booth before the show even began. So, we rolled up our sleeves and built a full 3D model of the space weeks in advance.
We tweaked the placement of every umbrella, rearranged the tables and chairs a dozen times, and even debated the best spot for the potted plants — all to make sure our Foris Hortus corner felt warm, inviting, and perfect. It might have felt a little obsessive at the time, but when we walked into the real booth and saw our virtual vision come to life? Totally worth it.
Meanwhile, our team was immersed in the intense preparation of product catalogs— a task we treated with the same dedication as the development of our new commercial umbrella, knowing that these catalogs would be the first "handshake" with global customers. To ensure we could cater to the diverse needs of different clients, we sat down with our design team time and again, going through countless rounds of revisions and polishes.
There were evenings when we stayed late, debating over the best angle to showcase an umbrella’s details, adjusting the layout to make size specifications clearer, and even rephotographing several products because we felt the shots didn’t fully capture their quality.
After weeks of meticulous work, we finally finalized two catalog versions that we were proud of: one covering our entire range of sunshade umbrellas, offering a comprehensive overview of our product line, and the other a specialized catalog designed exclusively for hotels and homestays, highlighting styles that perfectly complement outdoor hospitality spaces. Every page featured precise size specifications and high-definition detailed photos of each umbrella— a small but intentional touch, as we wanted every customer to feel like they were holding the product in their hands, even before stepping foot in our booth.
Behind every stable umbrella, there’s a set of unassuming but critical components — and these are ours. The adjustable leveling feet with their bright orange pads, paired with heavy-duty bolts and a precision wrench, might not look like much on their own, but they’re the unsung heroes that keep our umbrellas anchored firmly to the ground, even on uneven surfaces.
That rugged, powder-coated steel base frame? It’s the foundation that supports the entire structure, working hand-in-hand with the leveling feet to distribute weight evenly and eliminate wobble. We spent weeks testing different materials and designs to get these details just right, because we know that true quality lives in the parts you don’t always see — but always rely on.
Nerves & Excitement: Taking Our New Umbrellas to Germany
Armed with our brand-new product line, our team set off for Germany with a mix of butterflies and excitement fluttering in our stomachs. In China, June was sweltering hot, but Germany greeted us with a crisp chill that had everyone rubbing their hands to warm up. Yet the cold didn’t slow us down one bit — we rolled up our sleeves and got straight to work on-site. With our 3D booth blueprint in hand, we double-checked every detail, tweaked the layout of umbrellas and tables again and again, and fussed over every little spot, all to turn our virtual vision into the most perfect, eye-catching exhibition space possible.
Trust the Umbrella: Our Hanging Chair Test Won Over Customers
To really show off just how strong our umbrellas are, we went all out: we hung a cozy hanging chair right under one of them and invited every passing customer to take a seat. It was our little "trust fall" moment — and seeing people laugh as they plopped down, completely confident the umbrella wouldn’t budge? That was the best proof our engineering paid off.
Nerves & Excitement: Taking Our New Umbrellas to Germany
Unlike our early exhibition days when we felt unsure of ourselves, this time at the Cologne Show, the Foris Hortus booth became an instant hit the moment the doors opened. Our fresh, eye-catching design and standout new products drew a steady crowd of domestic and international customers — we didn’t even need to go out and promote ourselves; hordes of visitors were already drawn to our umbrellas, captivated by their impressive height and top-tier quality. We quickly became one of the most talked-about spots in the entire hall.
“Hello, welcome to Foris Hortus. This is our brand-new large outdoor sunshade — the result of our latest technological breakthrough. It offers vastly improved wind resistance and is incredibly easy to use.”
On the first day of the exhibition, Foris Hortus's booth attracted countless glances. Buyers from Europe, Americas, and the Middle East came in an endless stream, shocked by the creativity of hanging swing chairs under the umbrella, even more impressed by the technical strength the product demonstrated.
A chain hotel executive from Germany stood under the umbrella and exclaimed: "I have never seen such a sturdy and aesthetically designed sun umbrella." He immediately expressed his procurement intention.
During the exhibition, the team received over 300 potential customers. Behind every business card lay a potential cooperation opportunity. Intentional orders reached the site exceeded $500,000, setting a new historical record.
Post-Return: The Story Continues
After the exhibition ended, the team returned with a full harvest. But the real challenge was just beginning—how to convert these intentions into actual orders?
Over the following month, team members followed up with every customer they met at the exhibition one by one. Sincere attitude, professional product knowledge, and rapid response led more and more customers to choose Foris Hortus.
By the end of July, new orders after the exhibition had exceeded $1 million, with expectations for achieving over 30% annual growth.
Conclusion: An Umbrella, A Dream
From an idea half a year ago to now making a mark in the international market, Foris Hortus has held up its own brand dream with a single umbrella. The Cologne Exhibition is just a beginning. In the future, this Chinese outdoor umbrella brand will continue to write more brilliant stories in the global market.
