After intensive deliberations and talks and in view of the development of infection numbers in this corona pandemic, Deutsche Messe decided, together with the German mechanical and plant engineering association (VDMA), to postpone the Ligna trade fair for five months in the coming year. The new date: September 27 to October 1st, 2021.
“Due to the ongoing pandemic, increasing restrictions and a new lockdown, there is great uncertainty on the market. We take that very seriously,” emphasizes Dr. Andreas Gruchow, Member of the Board of Management of Deutsche Messe AG. “The decision to postpone Ligna was very difficult for us, but it is the only reasonable measure to give everyone who is involved planning security and the necessary time for preparations. The hygiene and safety concept is in place. The infa fair which was held in October proved in practice that events can take place safely during a pandemic. As with Ligna, we have to take into account that entire machine parks are designed, assembled and presented live while in operation. This requires long preparation times and a lot of effort, and as a result, many months of planning the trade fair. Such an effort is only acceptable when there is a sufficient number of international decision-makers on the visitor side. In order for Ligna as the world’s leading trade fair to live up to this, both exhibitors and users must be given sufficient planning security for participating in the event – and there is much more security in September and October than in May 2021.”
As co-organizer of Ligna, the VDMA also sees the postponement of the event as the only effective step to successfully holding the most important trade fair for the international timber industry for the benefit of all parties involved. “Postponing Ligna is absolutely necessary. For our companies in and the customers of the woodworking and processing industry, it is the most important global platform,” says Dr. Bernhard Dirr, managing director of the VDMA’s woodworking machinery association. “The industry needs this marketplace. By holding Ligna in September 2021, we want to send a start signal which is going to trigger new impulses and investments in the global market.”
