At the next edition of LIGNA - May 11-15, 2015 in Hanover, Germany - the leading trade fair for the forestry and wood industries, will be taking its commitment as the international shop window for the wood industry to the next level with an exciting new offering: the Wood Industry Summit.
Organized by Deutsche Messe in partnership with the German Forestry Council (KWF), the all-new summit will comprise an exhibition area, a matchmaking platform and a forum, making it a powerful hub for international lead generation and dialogue. It will be staged on about 800 square meters (2,000 sq. ft.) of display area in Hall 13.
In the exhibition area, companies and institutions from the forestry technology, sawmill technology, wood panel products and veneer production, wood energy, solid wood working and pulp and paper industries will showcase their latest technology offerings in the immediate vicinity of international group pavilions run by key players from carefully selected timber-rich target market regions.
The matchmaking platform will feature institutions and delegations of high-ranking government and business representatives from Russia, China and North and South America, who will outline market access opportunities and regional wood-industry projects in their countries. The platform is also be an opportunity for companies from European countries, such as Finland, Sweden, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, to present their technologies to the participating wood-industry representatives and purchasing delegations from their international target markets.
The third component of the new summit is a special forum for key international representatives of industry, science and government. The aim of the forum is to present new solutions and the current state of the art in various technology areas, particularly harvesting technology, and to discuss current industry trends and issues. The forum is also an opportunity to share detailed information on how to initiate business in key target markets and to find the best technology fit for specific countries. The forum will be moderated by the KWF.
The KWF is a solid and trusted partner who brings a great deal of experience and expertise to its role as Deutsche Messe’s co-organizer of the Wood Industry Summit. Dr. Jochen Köckler, a member of Deutsche Messe’s managing board, says “we have a truly outstanding partner in KWF. Our organizations have worked together for many years to systematically hone and tailor LIGNA to the needs of the market. And so we are delighted to have the KWF on board as we develop and launch the Wood Industry Summit. It will be the only platform of its kind worldwide and will generate considerable economic value, particularly in the international project business.”
The summit will feature numerous technical presentations, discussion forums and international business facilitation and advisory offerings. Another important reason for creating the summit is to provide added value for the international, vertically integrated pulp and paper enterprises that have been sending visitors to LIGNA in ever-increasing numbers over the years.
“The planned (summit) will enable LIGNA exhibitors from the forestry and wood industry to meet and get to know potential partners from specially profiled target market regions,” says Ute Seeling, KWF’s managing director.
“Our objective in partnering with Deutsche Messe for the summit is to provide a platform for successful, long-term international business relationships. It’s a great opportunity, and we hope the target wood-industry companies will take full advantage of it.”
