Even if you didn’t venture beyond the borders of the DACH region (which covers Germany, Austria and Switzerland) for a whole year, you’d find a specialist trade fair to keep you occupied almost every single week. From automation and drives to domestic appliances and lighting, here are some of the major events that attract our customers and other businesses and organisations working in various fields of industry.
all about automation: This isn’t your average two-day trade fair – it goes on tour! all about automation moves around the DACH region throughout the year, looping its way round from Berlin over to Zurich via Hamburg, and then back to Düsseldorf, with various stops in between. Most recently it has added Graz, Austria’s second-largest city, to its roster. The events focus on industrial automation, digitalisation and robotics and aren’t just a place for the big players to exhibit: the purpose of the regional nature is to give a voice to smaller companies with a narrower territory.
Hannover Messe: The big kahuna on the industry and manufacturing trade fair scene, Hannover Messe hosts 3500 exhibitors and more than 100,000 visitors each April at its site in northern Germany. It prides itself on attracting major industry players and an international audience. Naturally, its focus has turned increasingly towards AI in recent years, and the 2026 event will include a strand on AI in manufacturing.
embedded world: Moving to the south of Germany, embedded world takes place in Nuremberg each year and focuses on all types of embedded technology, from application software and vision solutions to IoT devices and operating systems. Over three days in March, it not only hosts exhibitor booths but also stages panel discussions, forums and guided tours – and even has a dedicated networking event for women working in the embedded industry.
LogiMAT: Another March event, this time taking place in Stuttgart, LogiMAT is the place to be for anyone working in intralogistics. The event is structured by industry segment so that visitors can home in on the subjects that specifically interest them – with options including storage and handling technology, shipping and transportation, and environmental innovations. There are also opportunities to forge international links, specifically through the event’s LogiMAT Meets India initiative, which provides insights from European companies into how they have broken into the growing Indian economy.
EMO Hannover: Last year marked 50 years of EMO Hannover, the world’s leading trade fair for production technology with a specific focus on metalworking. Organised by the German Machine Tool Builders’ Association (VDW), its offering emphasises innovation and the future of the industry: this year, the talks that are part of the fringe events will address subjects relating to artificial intelligence in manufacturing, such as AI-enabled robots and protection for data used in AI contexts.
Light+Building: Held in Frankfurt, Germany’s commercial and financial hub, the Light+Building trade fair brings together exhibitors and attendees with a specific interest in lighting technology and building services. In 2025, the lighting market generated revenue of almost £7 billion in Germany alone – but Light+Building’s scope extends globally, with almost 70% of its exhibitors coming from international markets. It will come as no surprise that the 2026 edition is set to focus on AI-related themes, but energy management, centralised lighting solutions and smart services are also on the agenda.
IFA Berlin: This September event focuses on the consumer perspective and is all about the latest in home appliances and technology. It also stretches the boundaries of the traditional trade fair format with fringe events that happen at other times of the year, such as the IFA Sommergarten music festival. IFA Berlin embraces themes of innovation and dream lifestyles, and with more than 1900 exhibitors to see over four days, visitors are sure to come out the other side with an idea of what the future looks like.
Fakuma: Another autumn trade fair, Fakuma is an international gathering point for the plastics processing industry, focusing on areas including injection moulding and thermoforming. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the event, and the Fakuma Innovation Award is being launched to mark this: participants are required to showcase their innovations live at the trade fair, either as a prototype or as a fully realised working product.
wire / Tube: wire and Tube are two sister trade fairs held side by side at the Messe Düsseldorf event space in mid-April. wire is marginally bigger, attracting 1500 exhibitors last year (to Tube’s 1200), but both events are important meeting points for companies working in the future of energy and sustainable concepts. Both wire and Tube prove how critical wire-bending, piping and tube-forming technologies are to a myriad of industries, and consistently attract an international visitor profile.
SENSOR+TEST: Held in Nuremberg, SENSOR+TEST is all about measurement technology and sensors, and includes a lecture programme, a booth dedicated to young sensor technology developers, and dedicated Calibration Area and Condition Monitoring sections. Attendees also benefit from entry to the PCIM Expo, a similar-scale power electronics event taking place in parallel to SENSOR+TEST.
AUMA, the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry, has a handy search tool that you can use to explore trade fairs in Germany and beyond, whatever sector you might be interested in: https://www.auma.de/en/find-your-fair/