GERMANY- Preparations for LIGNA '21 are already in full swing. The world's top international wood-industry trade show is enjoying strong industry support despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The scheduled opening day is a good eight months away, but according to its organizers, demand for exhibition space is already strong.

“The event will once again fill ten halls as well as the open-air site booked. All the big industry players are on board. After many weeks of social distancing, lockdowns, online-only events and video conferencing from the home, the industry is really looking forward to meeting up face-to-face," said Christian Pfeiffer, Deutsche Messe's Global Director LIGNA. “Obviously, we all hope that the worst of the pandemic will be over by May,” Pfeiffer commented, “but it's impossible to say when case numbers might start to drop off or when a vaccine might become available. So we have to be realistic. The global travel restrictions alone suggest that we are will have fewer international visitors than at LIGNA 2019. The virus is likely to be with us for some time to come, so we need to find new ways of enabling businesses to engage with their markets. We need LIGNA '21.”

“LIGNA will present the pioneering developments and visionary ideas that will be shaping wood-industry production and business processes just a few years from now,” remarked Dr. Bernhard Dirr, director of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA). “LIGNA is our window onto the future, and that’s more important than ever given the COVID-19 pandemic. If we manage to showcase our industry in a way that people can physically explore, experience and engage with, then I think we can call LIGNA 2021 a success, regardless of the visitor and exhibitor turnout,” Dirr said.