LIGNA 2027 has reached a strong booking position eight months before opening, with approximately 1,100 exhibitors having secured around 100,000 square metres of exhibition space by the end of September 2026. The trade show will take place in Hannover from 10 to 14 May 2027, for the first time without a public holiday or bridge day during the event period. [1]
“The industry is fully represented across LIGNA’s core segments – no major name is missing. Quite the opposite: we have even gained new companies from adjacent industries. The driving forces behind these first-time bookings are our two new formats, LIGNA.Builds and LIGNA.TruckStop,” says Stephanie Wagner, Global Director LIGNA at Deutsche Messe AG.
The current booking level remains below the final result recorded for the previous edition in 2025, which brought together 1,425 exhibitors across 113,832 square metres of occupied exhibition space. Organisers nevertheless report that the exhibitor base remains stable, while the available space is being adapted to current market conditions.
LIGNA.Builds links technology with live construction
LIGNA.Builds will focus on modern, industrialised timber construction and will feature a live construction site at the Expo roof in the outdoor area. The format is attracting both established exhibitors and companies participating in LIGNA for the first time.
“LIGNA.Builds addresses one of the industry’s most pressing current topics. Modern, industrialized timber construction affects all of us. Both our long-standing exhibitors and new names are excited about the planned live construction site at the Expo roof in the outdoor area and are contributing their expertise. In addition to technology partners such as HOMAG Group with WEINMANN, System TM and KALLESOE, as well as HUNDEGGER, SCM and WEINIG, new participants such as the EGGER Group and WÜRTH will also be on board.”
The house at LIGNA will be built by WOLF SYSTEM GmbH, a timber construction company headquartered in Osterhofen, Bavaria. The company is currently developing a residential neighbourhood for employees next to its premises. The project comprises three multi-family buildings, several semi-detached houses and townhouses, as well as a seminar room.
The development demonstrates WOLF’s expertise in timber-frame construction and the range of solutions it already implements in modern timber construction. The company describes the LIGNA.Builds concept as an ideal fit for its own development plans. The format is being implemented in cooperation with project partner holzbau.tech from Rosenheim and is supported by the Technical University of Applied Sciences Rosenheim.
TruckStop expands its role
The second edition of LIGNA.TruckStop is also contributing to the event’s exhibitor growth. Bosch Powertools, fischer, HÄFELE, HECO SCHRAUBEN and SPAX will join established participants FESTOOL and Makita. The format is expected to nearly triple its exhibition space and double the number of participating companies.
“LIGNA.TruckStop is entering its next phase at LIGNA 2027 and is developing very dynamically. With new exhibitors such as Bosch Powertools, fischer, HÄFELE, HECO SCHRAUBEN, and SPAX alongside established names such as FESTOOL and Makita, the format is nearly tripling in exhibition space and doubling in the number of participating companies.”
TruckStop will be directly integrated into the LIGNA.Builds live construction site. According to the organisers, this will connect exhibitors’ products with the requirements of modern timber construction and the carpentry and joinery trades. The combination of product presentation, practical application and thematic integration is intended to increase the format’s relevance for participating companies.
More compact hall structure
Economic conditions remain challenging for companies in the woodworking industry. Some larger exhibitors are booking smaller stands, which means that LIGNA 2027 will occupy somewhat less space than the previous edition, despite a stable exhibitor base.
“Some larger exhibitors are booking smaller stands due to their individual economic circumstances. As a result, the overall exhibition space at LIGNA 2027 will be somewhat smaller than at the previous event, while the exhibitor base will remain stable,” explains Wagner.
Timber-construction-related segments are showing comparatively resilient demand, while the prefabricated housing sector is also developing positively. “Despite the continued challenging situation in the woodworking industry, the timber-construction-related segments are proving comparatively resilient. A positive trend is also emerging in the prefabricated housing sector – an encouraging outlook for LIGNA.Builds. This makes us cautiously optimistic,” says Dr. Bernhard Dirr, Managing Director of VDMA Woodworking Machinery.
To respond to the changed space situation, the organisers are arranging the 2027 exhibition grounds with a stronger thematic focus. Some exhibitors will move to different halls, allowing the occupied halls to be consolidated and companies to be grouped more systematically according to their product offerings and areas of focus.
Hall 11, which has previously been only partly occupied, will not be used for LIGNA 2027. Its location and structural layout have placed it less directly on the main visitor routes. Exhibitors relocated from the hall are expected to benefit from positions in higher-traffic core areas. Entrance South, located next to Hall 11, will also remain closed after attracting comparatively few visitors in 2023 and 2025.
“In 2027, LIGNA will be more compact in terms of its thematic structure and provide visitors with even clearer navigation and shorter routes. We are adapting the spatial structure to current market conditions and concentrating LIGNA where exhibitors and visitors actually come together.”
