Press Release HANNOVER MESSE 2025 (March 31 – April 4)
HANNOVER MESSE 2025: “Tailwind for industry”
A technology fair, a trade exhibition, and a platform for dialogue among partners on economic policy: this is, in summary, what HANNOVER MESSE 2025 was. This year, the world’s most important trade fair for industrial technology delivered strong positive signals: artificial intelligence (AI), automation, digitalization, and electrification are securing a leap in industrial efficiency. Partner Country Canada also provided strong momentum, demonstrating its desire to actively expand transatlantic cooperation in these turbulent times.
Hannover. “HANNOVER MESSE 2025 was an expression, in close agreement with its international partners, of a strong commitment to the future viability of German and European industry,” says Jochen Köckler, CEO of Deutsche Messe. “In a global situation characterized by uncertainty, it has more than re-established its role as a technology fair, a trade exhibition, and a platform for economic policy dialogue and international cooperation. HANNOVER MESSE is where the analog world of machines networks with digital intelligence, the place where you can experience firsthand how digitalization and AI enable industrial progress.”
Approximately 127,000 visitors from 150 countries engaged with 4,000 exhibiting companies on how to best use artificial intelligence, automate their facilities, or achieve greater energy efficiency. Over 40 percent of visitors came from abroad. The top countries of origin, after Germany, were China, the Netherlands, Canada, Poland, South Korea, and Japan.
“Exhibiting companies effectively demonstrated that, from a technological standpoint, we in Germany and Europe have everything needed for competitive, sustainable, and innovative production. HANNOVER MESSE provided guidance and tailwind for industry—in truly difficult times. Exhibitors reported that they sensed growing confidence in many conversations, which now, however, requires confirmation,” emphasizes Köckler.
At the same time, the fair also sent clear political signals for a week: “Industry, however, also needs tailwind from Berlin and Brussels through effective de-bureaucratization and the definition of a strong, coordinated European industrial policy that establishes new free trade agreements and reliable general conditions for investment, innovation, and energy supply. Only if politicians and industry act in unison can Europe securely and systematically increase its competitiveness,” states Köckler.
Exhibiting companies and partner associations also draw a positive conclusion from HANNOVER MESSE 2025:
For Gunther Kegel, President of the German Electrical and Digital Industry Association (ZVEI) and Chairman of the HANNOVER MESSE Exhibitor Advisory Committee, “the event proved once again to be the most important platform for industrial innovation. Visitors, especially those from abroad, showed particular interest in the use of artificial intelligence in industrial applications. This confirms that German industry can continue to offer global orientation in times of technological change. Our companies are leaders in Industry 4.0, and we are convinced that we can further improve this excellent starting position. Industrial artificial intelligence is a new field of development and will give new impetus to the automation and digitalization of industry. HANNOVER MESSE will reflect this development in the coming years.”
Thilo Brodtmann, General Manager of the German Machinery and Equipment Manufacturers Association (VDMA), states: “This year’s HANNOVER MESSE demonstrated in a special way the extreme importance of valid partnerships and open markets for an industry driven by exports and innovation, such as the machine and plant engineering sector. Partner Country Canada’s willingness to expand trade with Europe is welcome and encouraging in a world increasingly characterized by trade disputes. To face the major challenges ahead, we need innovations of the scale of those effectively demonstrated in the trade fair halls. This year, HANNOVER MESSE also sent a particularly strong economic policy signal to Berlin: the industrial sector urgently needs more attention and responses to its needs in order to continue demonstrating its innovative strength in our country.”
AI: The main topic in industry
The core topic of this year’s edition was AI applications for industry. “AI has the potential to change industry more in just a few years than it has in the entire last decade,” says Köckler. Exhibiting companies used specific examples to demonstrate how manufacturing enterprises can benefit from artificial intelligence. “With targeted use of these technologies, even small and medium-sized enterprises can increase their efficiency, reduce costs, and significantly increase their competitiveness,” explains Köckler.
A new study presented at HANNOVER MESSE by VDMA and the consultancy firm Strategy& proves it concretely. According to this study, the use of generative artificial intelligence can increase the profit margin of machine and plant production by up to 10.7 percentage points.
Hydrogen for a sustainable energy supply
In the halls of HANNOVER MESSE dedicated to energy, everything revolved around the themes of efficiency and sustainability, with a central role assigned to hydrogen. In Hall 13 alone, within the “Hydrogen + Fuel Cells EUROPE” area, about 300 companies presented their latest developments and applications in the field of hydrogen and fuel cells.
Partner Country Canada: Partner and driving force
Partner Country Canada gave a high-impact presentation at HANNOVER MESSE. The innovative role of Canadian companies and institutions in key areas such as artificial intelligence, digitalization, and renewable energy emerged prominently. Close cooperation with international partners and a strong focus on sustainable technologies highlight the country’s importance as a dynamic player in the global markets of the future.
Stéphane Dion, Special Envoy to the European Union and Europe and Head of the Canadian delegation to HANNOVER MESSE 2025, declares: “The presence of Partner Country Canada at HANNOVER MESSE 2025 was an extraordinary success and has significantly advanced our efforts for market diversification. Our country is committed to increasing its presence in German and European markets. We have assembled the most impressive Canadian delegation ever recorded at an industrial trade fair. More than 500 Canadian exhibitors and delegates from entities ranging from startups to large enterprises took advantage of the opportunity to connect with German, European, and global companies to strengthen their international presence. Innovators, researchers, academics, and economic development organizations also showcased Canadian talent and technological solutions to a global audience. Canada is pleased to play a central role, with Germans and Europeans, in shaping a future that is green, digital, and resilient. We hope that this cooperation and cross-border development will continue to grow.”
HANNOVER MESSE
HANNOVER MESSE is the world’s leading trade fair for industrial technologies. Under the guiding theme of “Industrial Transformation,” it brings together about 4,000 exhibiting companies from the mechanical, electrical, and electronics industries, the digital industry, and the energy sector to present solutions for the present and future of production and energy supply. Key exhibition sectors of the 2025 edition included Smart Manufacturing, Digital Ecosystems, Energy for Industry, Compressed Air & Vacuum Technology, Engineered Parts & Solutions, Future Hub, and International Trade & Investment. The exhibition was complemented by a conference program that recorded the presence of about 1,600 speakers. The 2026 edition is scheduled in Hannover from April 20 to 24. The Partner Country will be Brazil.
For further information, please contact:
Onuora Obgukagu
Tel.: +49 511 89-31059
E-mail: onuora.ogbukagu@messe.de
For other press releases and photos:
www.hannovermesse.de/en/press/
