Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Managing Board, Deutsche Messe AG, speaks at the 2026 Hannover Messe Press Preview.
The Hannover Messe Preview took place on February 25, 2026, in Hannover, Germany. Roughly 100 journalists from across Europe and around the world were in attendance for the event. The 2026 iteration of Hannover Messe, scheduled for exactly eight weeks from now, will run from April 20-24, with the overall theme of “Think Tech Forward.”
The partner country for 2026 is Brazil, and the topic of AI in industry will be a major focus, discussing how to implement real uses of AI onto the manufacturing floor. Lula (Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva), President of Brazil, will be visiting the trade show, along with Chancellor Friedrich Merz from Germany.
Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Managing Board, Deutsche Messe AG, noted that trade shows always reflect the markets.
“We are facing a turning point for industry,” he said. “In addition to geopolitical challenges, we have AI reaching us at a breakneck speed.”
Köckler said that 25-30 years ago, we had the internet coming us at a similar speed. And yet, looking around today, we don’t do anything that doesn’t somehow involve the internet.
“Sitting and waiting isn’t an option; we need to take action and meet this challenge with optimism,” he told the assembled journalists. “Hannover Messe is positioned as the most relevant international trade fair to deal with the future of the industries represented there.”
There will a unique mix of large multinationals here, Köckler explained, including the global players who drive the trends that we are witnessing, as well as German multinationals like Schaeffler Group, Beckhoff, and Rittal. And AI will be ever-present at the show.
“AI has reached a turning point. We are moving from theory to practical use: applications, applications, applications,” he said.
Physical AI is also becoming important. It means that AI is moving from the screen into the physical world. It will improve efficiency and productivity. The humanoid robot is becoming a reality. Köckler said that 25 years ago, we didn’t know where the journey would take us. But today, what he considers to be fast seems normal speed to 25-year-olds, who have never known things to be different.
New things on the horizon
Although the Hannover Fair has been around for almost 80 years, it continues to innovate. First, there are plenty of new exhibitors appearing at the show in 2026, such as Rockwell Automation, Bosch, Denso, Zeiss, Rohde & Schwarz, DMG Mori, and Agile Robots. The overall hall layout for this year is now divided into three areas, to make attendees’ experience better, and allow them to better make use of their time. The halls will be organized into Automation & Digitalization, Energy & Industrial Infrastructure, and Research & Technology Transfer. Plus, a defense production area — a fast growing sector in Europe — will feature roughly 50 exhibitors.
The formats are changing too; the 2026 event will include Masterclasses, Roundtables, and Speed Dating events. There’s also a new Center Stage, with a wide variety of presentations from companies such as Nvidia, Accenture, Siemans, and Bayer — as well as various startups in defense, AI, and other industries.
Brazil as a strong, dynamic partner
Brazil was the very first partner country of Hannover Messe when the strategy was created in the 1980s. In 2026, the South American country will bring 140 exhibitors and a delegation of 300 companies here to Hannover Messe.
H.E. Rodrigo Baena Soares, Ambassador of Brazil to Germany, spoke at the press conference.
“We share values and democratic institutions,” said Soares of Brazil and Germany. “Germany is already one of the top 10 investors in Brazil, with around 40 billion euros in direct investment stock additional investment announcements. Last year included very positive developments. Highlights include Volkswagens’ expansion in Sao Paulo for hybrid vehicles; Siemens Energy’s partnerships for green hydrogen projects in northeastern Brazil; BASF’s new low-carbon agricultural plant in central Brazil; and SAP’s AI and Big Data Innovation Center in Sao Paulo.”
Soares said that the new industrial Brazil is focused on some main pillars: sustainable agriculture, industrial chains, health sectors, infrastructure, digital transformation, decarbonization, and defense.
“German and Brazilian companies can and should work together,” he said. “The National Energy Transitioning Policy oversees the transformation of the national energy matrix towards a low carbon model, combined with criteria of sustainable development and social inclusion. Our legal framework for low carbon hydrogen sets principles, goals, and instruments for low production use and certification of low emission hydrogen in Brazil. We will become a major producer and exporter of low carbon hydrogen and of green industrialized products, as well.”
Soares also said that the current Brazilian artificial intelligence plan is a milestone for national technological development, with ambitious goals to make the country a world leader in innovative and efficient use of AI.
“The plan focuses on high-capacity computing infrastructure, advanced language models in Portuguese, workforce training, and using AI for business innovation,” Soares concluded.