“There is no competition for it in the world,” said Michael Schneider at a press conference recently. The director of Deutsche Messe AG was referring to the biannual Ligna exhibition and few in either the woodworking machinery or the exhibition industries would disagree with him.
This year’s extravaganza at Hannover in Germany will be held from May 2-6 and promises, once more, to “demonstrate its status as the leading world market place for forestry and wood industries”. Themed around three main display areas – machinery, materials and applications – it will provide a platform for the complete spectrum of innovative woodworking machinery and forestry technology and will showcase developments in wood materials and timber construction. Its array of products will range from high-performance mobile machinery with labour-saving features to complete large-scale sawmills and panel production facilities and will represent the entire production process from raw material through to finished product.
Visitor numbers
This year the show’s organisers, Deutsche Messe and the German Woodworking Machinery Manufacturers’ Association within the VDMA (German Engineering Federation) expect to welcome around 1,600 exhibitors from 40 countries. About half will come from the host nation, but representatives from Italy, Austria, Taiwan, Spain, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, France and the US are also in the top 10 and polling position changes all the time. Taiwan, for example, which ranked 10th in terms of exhibitor numbers at the last show in 2003, has boosted its presence by 35% and is now the fourth largest contingent.
Hannover 2005 will also witness a 50% increase in exhibitor numbers from Turkey, and a 22% rise from China, while Hong Kong and Thailand will be represented for the first time. And, Mr Schneider is “very pleased” that 13 UK exhibitors will be taking part this year, occupying a total area of 700m2.
The show’s cosmopolitan nature is also reflected in its visitors. At the last event around 40% of the 100,000-strong trade audience came from outside Germany. At 5,000, Italy boasted the biggest contingent, while at 2,500 Britain sent the second largest group. France, Canada and Sweden were each represented by around 2,000 visitors.
Ligna is characterised not just by its enormous size, but by its logical organisation with clearly arranged thematic displays and market orientation.
Display category
A special display category “Handwerk, Holz & mehr” (wood crafts, wood and more) in Halls 11, 14-16 and 17 is expected to be a major focus of attention. This “fair within a fair” will cover an array of products and will be complemented by special presentations and talks, a lecture programme and a variety of live, practical demonstrations by manufacturers and trade professionals.
Designed to appeal to cabinetmakers, joiners, carpenters and skilled assembly plant workers, the intention is also to attract architects, property developers and planners.
As the presentations at Handwerk, Holz & mehr and in other areas of the show indicate, Ligna is much more than just an enormous shop window. Special displays, seminars, conferences and international forums are also on the agenda. The Vector Forum makes its debut at this year’s fair. Here, visitors can see short demonstrations staged by exhibitors while, at the southern end of the exhibition grounds the special presentation “Energy from Wood” will highlight innovative trends in the field of renewable energy.
Other forums and mini-exhibitions will include teaching and research, careers in wood, the ProHozfenster initiative (an association promoting the use of timber windows) and artistry in wood.
Further information on the programme at Ligna Hannover 2005 and Handwerk, Holz & mehr can be found at www.ligna.de and www.skilledtrades-wood-mehr.de.
