In its 50th anniversary year, LIGNA 2025 once again proved to be the leading platform for the international woodworking community, featuring 1,433 exhibitors from 49 countries. From May 26 to 30, it brought together the global woodworking and wood processing industry in Hanover, provided a significant boost to the sector, ignited fresh momentum, and laid the foundation for future investments.

“LIGNA has impressively reaffirmed its unique position as the world’s leading trade fair for the industry. Around 78,000 visitors from 156 countries came to Hanover – putting us on par with the previous event in 2023. Given the circumstances, that is a strong result,” said Dr. Jochen Köckler, CEO at Deutsche Messe AG. “Despite all the benefits of digitalization, nothing can replace the experience of seeing machines in live operation at a trade fair. I would like to thank all LIGNA exhibitors who demonstrated this so clearly here,” Köckler continued, adding: “The combination of innovation, technological progress, and passion is the best foundation for renewed investment.”

The proportion of trade visitors at LIGNA 2025 was 93 percent, with 60 percent of them holding management positions – 44 percent of those in top management.

Whether in forestry, sawmilling, production, manufacturing, or craft industries, exhibitors presented solutions spanning the entire value chain, showing how current challenges can be addressed and turned into opportunities. The spotlight was on digitalization, automation, artificial intelligence, smart production, sustainable and climate-friendly construction using wood and wood-based materials, and the responsible, future-oriented use of wood as a resource.

Köckler stated: “What makes LIGNA unique worldwide is its role as an international marketplace for the woodworking and wood processing industry. This is where global supply meets international demand. With 56 percent of visitors coming from abroad, LIGNA clearly demonstrates that it is the undisputed world’s leading trade fair for the industry and enables global business at the highest level.” The largest groups of international visitors came from Poland, Italy, and Austria, followed by the Netherlands, France, and Belgium. 

Markus Hüllmann, Chairman of the Executive Board of the VDMA Woodworking Machinery Association, also gave a positive assessment of LIGNA 2025: “We had a successful LIGNA that provided motivation and momentum in an otherwise uncertain environment. The situation differs across segments and manufacturers, but everyone here in Hanover discussed important projects and recharged their batteries. For some, this even resulted in unexpected orders at their stands – which gives us confidence that the industry will quickly bounce back.”

With its three focus topics – CONNECTIVITY, SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION, and ENGINEERED WOOD – LIGNA 2025 addressed precisely the areas that not only concern the industry but also offer genuine hope for a world urgently seeking sustainable development. Exhibitors clearly embraced their responsibility, as evidenced across all ten exhibition halls, two pavilions, and the outdoor area, covering a total of 114,078 square meters. A wide array of smart solutions – from reforestation to finished products – confirm the status of wood as a renewable raw material and the construction material of the moment.

Jan Kurth, CEO of the German Furniture Industry Associations, on LIGNA: “This year’s LIGNA showcased innovative approaches to resource-efficient production across the entire value chain – among many other advancements – providing valuable momentum for us in the German furniture industry. The topics of sustainability and the circular economy are of central importance to our manufacturers.”

Like no other trade fair in its sector, LIGNA combines a business platform with craftsmanship. It stands equally for groundbreaking developments in high-tech mechanical engineering and innovations in craft businesses. The two new formats, LIGNA.Circular and LIGNA.TruckStop, also attracted great visitor interest. Reflecting the circular transformation that was omnipresent at LIGNA, LIGNA.Circular in Hall 12 became a hotspot for concrete concepts on the circular economy and sustainable material use. In a more hands-on way, LIGNA.TruckStop invited carpenters, joiners, and craftsmen from all trades to exchange ideas about the latest power tools for workshops and business management.

For half a century, most companies have traditionally timed their product developments to debut at LIGNA, presenting them for the first time to the international trade community. The particularly innovative character of LIGNA 2025 is demonstrated by more than 900 trade fair premieres, including numerous advancements that elevate the resource-efficient use of energy and materials to a new level.

Another clear trend at LIGNA 2025 was the redefinition of the human role amid the technological revolution driven by AI and machine learning. Contrary to many expectations, humans are neither being marginalized nor replaced; instead, they are given more space to develop their creativity. Genuine emotionality is becoming an indispensable complement to artificial intelligence. Dr. Jochen Köckler commented: “The cohesion and cooperation within the woodworking community at LIGNA was clear evidence of this. Trade fairs are meeting places for people in a community that cannot be replaced. Genuine closeness cannot be streamed or replicated by AI.”

The next LIGNA will take place from May 10 to 14, 2027, at the exhibition grounds in Hanover. “Together with the exhibitors and the VDMA Woodworking Machinery Association, we have decided that from 2027 onwards, LIGNA will no longer be held over Ascension Day but will instead offer five full working days of business,” Köckler explained.