Trade fairs in Germany in 2026–27: a guide for buyers from the Gulf

atndr lists 67 upcoming trade fairs in Germany between October 2026 and November 2027. Manufacturing is the largest group, with 19 fairs, and food and beverages follow with 10. Most of the rest cover technology, construction, healthcare and consumer goods.

For a buyer from the Gulf, the useful way to read that calendar is by what you source.

Industry and manufacturing

HANNOVER MESSE 2027 runs 5–8 April 2027 in Hanover and covers automation, digital production, energy and industrial AI. Sector specialists sit around it. EuroBLECH 2026 (20–23 October 2026, Hanover) is for sheet-metal machinery. SPS 2026 (24–26 November 2026, Nuremberg) covers automation components and control systems. ACHEMA 2027 (14–18 June 2027, Frankfurt) is for process, chemical and pharmaceutical plant.

Other manufacturing fairs on the calendar include ALUMINIUM 2026 and glasstec 2026 in Düsseldorf in October 2026, LIGNA 2027 (woodworking, May 2027), GIFA 2027 (foundry, June 2027), automatica 2027 (robotics, June 2027), FACHPACK 2027 (packaging, September 2027) and AGRITECHNICA 2027 (farm machinery, November 2027).

Food and beverages

Anuga 2027 (9–13 October 2027, Cologne) is the big one. Its 2025 edition reported more than 8,000 exhibitors from 110 countries and more than 145,000 visitors, spread across 10 sector shows. Anuga FoodTec 2027 covers food processing and packaging machinery in February 2027. ProWein 2027 (7–9 March 2027, Düsseldorf) is for wine and spirits. BIOFACH 2027 (16–19 February 2027, Nuremberg) is for organic food. FRUIT LOGISTICA 2027 (3–5 February 2027, Berlin) is for fresh produce. ISM 2027 (January–February 2027, Cologne) covers sweets and snacks. Food Ingredients Europe 2026 (17–19 November 2026, Frankfurt) covers ingredients.

The live lists are on atndr's manufacturing in Germany and food and beverages in Germany pages.

Seven cities host most of the calendar. Each has its own exhibition company that owns the grounds and runs many of the fairs itself. Check the city before you book, because the grounds are far apart and a fair week fills the local hotels.

Stuttgart, Hamburg and Essen host a few more. German cities have good rail links, so a buyer covering two fairs in one trip can often travel between them by train on the same day.

Most German fairs are trade-only. They admit industry professionals and not the general public. Anuga, for example, says it is open only to trade visitors and asks for proof of trade status when you buy a ticket. ProWein calls itself a trade-only event, and FRUIT LOGISTICA gives exhibition access to trade visitors only. A few fairs, such as IFA Berlin 2027 and gamescom 2027, also have public days, so check the visitor rules on the official site.

• Tickets are paid, and cheaper online. Unlike many Gulf shows with a free visitor pass, German fairs usually charge. SPS 2026 lists a day pass from €60.50 and a three-day pass from €99 at regular prices, with lower early-bird prices before 12 October 2026. Food Ingredients Europe 2026 lists a standard pass at €173 until 19 October 2026, against €289 at full price. FRUIT LOGISTICA and SPS sell tickets online only. An exhibitor's voucher code can make entry free, so ask the suppliers you plan to meet.
• Proof of trade status. Register with a company email and have a business card, trade licence or company letter ready. Some fairs list which industries they accept.
• Public transport is often included. Anuga's ticket includes free travel on local public transport. SPS includes a transport ticket with its Premium pass only. Check each fair.
• Age limits. Many fairs restrict children. Anuga admits under-12s free with a guardian, and SPS admits visitors aged 14 and over with an adult.
• Catalogues and apps. Large fairs publish an online exhibitor search, usually by product, hall and country. Use it to shortlist suppliers and book meetings before you fly.
• Opening hours are daytime, often with a shorter last day. EuroBLECH 2026, for example, opens 9:00–18:00 and closes at 17:00 on its final day. FRUIT LOGISTICA 2027 closes at 16:00 on its last day.

For how visitor passes work across the region, see how to get a free trade show visitor pass.

It depends on your passport. Germany's Federal Foreign Office lists UAE citizens as not needing a visa for short stays. Citizens of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman do need one. Residents of the Gulf who hold another passport follow the rules for that passport.

A Schengen visa allows stays of up to 90 days in any 180 days across the Schengen area. The German missions in the UAE say applications can be made up to six months before travel, by appointment at VFS Global centres in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and that processing can take up to 15 days. Appointment slots can run out in busy months, so apply early.

• Saudi nationals. Under a European Commission decision of April 2024, Saudi nationals who live in and apply from Saudi Arabia and qualify for a visa are issued a multiple-entry visa valid for five years.
• Invitation letters. Many fairs issue a visa invitation letter to registered visitors. Anuga says its request form opens about six months before the fair and that it will not issue letters requested earlier, because embassies do not accept them.
• Exhibitors. The Federal Foreign Office notes that foreign exhibitors at German trade fairs who show an official exhibitor pass are exempt from the visa fee.

Book your hotel as soon as your fair is fixed. In the week of a large fair, rooms near the grounds sell out and prices rise across the city. Plan around the largest fairs, such as Anuga 2027 in Cologne, MEDICA 2026 in Düsseldorf and HANNOVER MESSE 2027 in Hanover.

1. Use the official accommodation service. Hanover's tourism office runs a free booking service for hotels, holiday flats and private rooms during HANNOVER MESSE 2027. Deutsche Messe also publishes a Selected Hotels list and runs get2fairs, which it says books rooms without markups.
2. Stay in the next city if you have to. Cologne and Düsseldorf are close by train, so buyers often stay in one and travel to the other. Frankfurt, Munich and Berlin have larger hotel stocks.
3. Fly into the right airport. Frankfurt and Munich are Germany's main long-haul hubs. Düsseldorf, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne Bonn, Hanover and Nuremberg also have airports, but if your city has no direct flight, a long-haul flight to Frankfurt or Munich plus a train is often simplest.
4. Watch the weather. October to March is cold, and the fairgrounds are large. Wear comfortable shoes and allow time to walk between halls.
5. Plan for clustered weeks. In November 2026, MEDICA 2026 (16–19 November), Food Ingredients Europe 2026 (17–19 November) and SPS 2026 (24–26 November) run close together in three cities. A two-week trip can cover several of them.

For comparable fairs closer to home, see atndr's guides to manufacturing events in Saudi Arabia, manufacturing events in the UAE and food and beverage events in the UAE.