With about 1,100 exhibitors and 100,000 square meters of booked space, Ligna 2027 is on track eight months before it begins. The trade show for the woodworking and wood-processing industry will take place in Hanover from May 10 to 14, 2027, and for the first time will not coincide with Ascension Day or a long weekend. The industry is fully represented in the core segment, while new formats are attracting additional companies from related sectors.
Among the most important initiatives are Ligna.Builds and Ligna.TruckStop. Stephanie Wagner, Global Director of Ligna at Deutsche Messe AG, says: “The industry is fully represented in LIGNA’s core segment; not a single name is missing—quite the contrary, we’ve even gained new companies from related industries.” Ligna.Builds, in particular, addresses the topic of industrial timber construction. Plans include a live construction site on the expo roof in the outdoor area, featuring both established exhibitors and new participants.
New formats are gaining importance
The end user for Ligna.Builds has now also been confirmed: Wolf System GmbH from Osterhofen will construct a house at the trade show. The company is currently developing a new residential quarter for employees at its headquarters, featuring apartment buildings, duplexes, and townhouses, as well as a seminar room. The project is intended to highlight the company’s expertise in wood panel construction. Ligna.Builds is being implemented in collaboration with project partner holzbau.tech from Rosenheim, with scientific support from the Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences.
The Ligna.TruckStop is also expanding significantly. According to the trade show organizers, the exhibition space has nearly tripled compared to the previous event, and the number of participating companies has doubled. New exhibitors include Bosch Powertools, fischer, Häfele, Heco Schrauben, and Spax, joined by well-known names such as Festool and Makita. The direct integration into the Ligna.Builds live construction site is intended to increase visibility and strengthen the connection to the needs of the carpentry and joinery trades.
More Compact Hall Layout
Compared to Ligna 2025, which featured 1,425 exhibitors and 113,832 square meters of occupied space, the booked space has been smaller so far. This is due to the continuing economic strain in parts of the industry. Some larger exhibitors are booking smaller booth spaces, even though the exhibitor base remains stable. Dr. Bernhard Dirr, Managing Director of VDMA Woodworking Machinery, nevertheless sees robust segments: “The segments related to timber construction are proving to be comparatively robust despite the continuing challenging situation in the woodworking industry.”
The trade show is responding to this with a more compact hall layout. Some exhibitors are being relocated to other halls to sharpen the thematic focus and shorten walking distances for visitors. Hall 11, which in the past was only partially occupied, will not be used in 2027. The South Entrance will also remain closed. Wagner summarizes the restructuring as follows: “In 2027, LIGNA will be thematically more compact and will offer visitors an even clearer layout.”
LIGNA has been organized by Deutsche Messe and the VDMA Woodworking Machinery Association since 1975. It covers the entire spectrum of the primary and secondary industries, including tools, machinery and equipment, surface treatment technology, wood-based materials production, sawmill technology, wood-based energy, and automation technology.