Photo: Deutsche Messe
LIGNA.Preview launched the official return of LIGNA 2023, in Hannover, Germany May 15-19.
LIGNA will be back for a live and in-person event in Hannover, Germany May 15-19.
And Deutsche Messe celebrated the upcoming return of LIGNA 2023 - the world's leading trade fair for woodworking and wood processing plant, machinery and tools – at its LIGNA.Preview event offering a sneak peek of what’s in store for the industry in May.
More than 105,000 square meters of exhibition space and more than 1,100 exhibitors will celebrate the return with a comprehensive overview of the woodworking and wood processing industry.
Despite the tense global political situation, the positive booking status confirms LIGNA's status as the world's leading trade show. Global players and renowned companies from all over the world will once again come together to showcase tools, machinery and equipment as well as smart solutions and new technologies. In addition to companies from Germany, firms from Italy, Austria, Turkey, Spain, China, Sweden, Slovenia, Denmark and the Netherlands account for the largest proportion of exhibitors by area. And LIGNA has been able to expand its exhibitor portfolio: This year, more than 180 first-time exhibitors intend to take advantage of the opportunities for business initiation and networking.
"LIGNA offers a unique overview of the entire value chain of the woodworking and wood processing industry. It is THE international showcase for innovations and THE stage for world firsts. We have been receiving a wave of euphoria from the community ever since planning began. The industry is looking forward to the face-to-face experience in Hannover," said Dr. Jochen Köckler, CEO of Deutsche Messe AG, highlighting the importance of the event at the LIGNA.Preview on Feb. 16 in Hannover.
"At LIGNA 2023, visitors will meet exhibitors from 44 countries. This is where trends are set and discussed that shape the industry and point the way to the future."
LIGNA focus topics move the industry
LIGNA 2023 will also live up to its role as a trendsetter in its choice of focus topics. The topic of digitization is shaping the development of the industry and is a prerequisite for production that is as resource-efficient as it is flexible. Under the title "Woodworking Transformation," it is also receiving a great deal of attention at LIGNA. Exhibitors will show how far the networking of machines, tools, components and materials has already gone and will present innovations in the fields of robotics, automation and software. The buzzwords Smart or Connected Factory, Industry 4.0 or Internet of Things and IoT platforms will continue to grow in importance and LIGNA will showcase many concrete examples.
On the way to an economy based on renewable resources, wood as the most important renewable raw material forms a central foundation. The wood-based bioeconomy is considered an innovative technology driver. The framework conditions for expanding resource-efficient wood use are part of the European Green Deal and pillars of a circular bioeconomy. This is a development that will rightly be the focus of attention at LIGNA 2023. On display will be development lines of the wood-based bioeconomy and technological innovations for responsible use of natural resources, as well as process technologies for shaping chemically digested wood fibers.
Wood is also steadily gaining importance as a recyclable building material in the construction industry. The share of total construction volume accounted for by purely timber buildings and timber-mixed structures is growing continuously both nationally and globally. LIGNA reflects this industry trend in the focus topic "Prefab Building."
On-site and digital: LIGNA.Stage, Guided Tours, LIGNA.Recruiting & LIGNA.Campus
The focus topics are also a common thread running through LIGNA's additional formats.
The LIGNA.Stage presents the live audience in Hall 12 with a varied forum program of solution- and user-oriented presentations and panel discussions along the LIGNA focus topics as well as recruiting and sustainability. For those who cannot be present on site, the various program items will also be available as a stream live and on demand on the LIGNA website.
Visitors can also look forward to the Guided Tours again - this year in a hybrid format. The tours offer a tailored overview of various topics. In groups of up to 25 participants, interested parties will be guided to selected exhibitors and given exclusive presentations and live demonstrations directly at their stands. Like the LIGNA.Stage program, the Hybrid Guided Tours are available live and on-demand in streaming in English and German on the LIGNA website.
"By streaming our additional formats, we want to make LIGNA and relevant industry developments accessible to those who can't be there on site," says Stephanie Wagner, LIGNA Project Manager. "Independent of location and time, we can thus extend LIGNA's appeal far beyond the event period."
