Decision point: setting the build-up, shipping and travel plan for a fair abroad

Hannover Messe: Exhibitor and Visitor Guide

Article date: 9 October 2026. The source pages were checked on that date.

Hannover Messe takes place at the Hannover exhibition grounds (Messegelände, 30521 Hannover). Dates, prices and hours can change; for this information the official page linked is the reference.

When is Hannover Messe, and what are the build-up and dismantling dates?

As of the date of this article, the upcoming edition is 5-8 April 2027 (hannovermesse.de). The exhibitor schedule is published with a "subject to change" note (Deutsche Messe):

Build-up begins: 24 March 2027
Stand must be complete: 4 April, 6.00 p.m.
Dismantling: begins 8 April, ends 13 April

During the build-up period, 26 March (Karfreitag) and 29 March (Ostermontag) are public holidays in Lower Saxony. For daily working hours and ground rules, the organiser's current exhibitor information document is consulted.

What are the equipment, forwarder and waste rules during build-up and dismantling?

This section is based on Deutsche Messe's exhibitor information document. Vehicle access days, hours, deposits and forwarder names can change from edition to edition, so they are not given here; the truck plan is made according to the current document.

Loading, unloading, assembly and dismantling with cranes, powered forklifts with a driver's seat, truck-mounted forklifts and working platforms are reserved for the forwarding agents approved by Deutsche Messe. The exhibitor can choose its own forwarder to bring the goods to the grounds.
Empty packaging and crates may not be stored in the hall, including on the stand area.
The exhibitor or the contracted stand construction company is responsible for waste disposal during build-up, the fair and dismantling; waste is separated and handed to a company licensed by Deutsche Messe.

How do products reach the exhibition grounds, and how do they return after the fair?

An ATA Carnet is issued by one of the chambers authorised to distribute carnets (authorised chambers). A list showing the type of the goods to be taken abroad, their brand and numbers where they exist, their weight, quantity and value is attached to the application. The guarantee is half of the total value of the goods covered by the carnet; it is given in cash (Turkish lira or foreign currency), as a bank guarantee letter or as a blocked bank deposit. The subject line of the letter must contain the words "ATA Karnesi Kapsamı Eşya" (TOBB). The list of countries that are members of the system is on TOBB's countries page.

According to the exhibitor information document, direct sales at Hannover Messe are prohibited as a rule; for published products that meet certain conditions, special permission is obtained from Deutsche Messe. For the return after the fair, the same document asks that the forwarder be engaged well before the dismantling date and that equipment such as forklifts be arranged separately.

What is the organiser's exhibitor portal, and what information does it ask for?

Every fair organiser opens a sub-page or portal on its website for the exhibiting companies; correspondence, information and documents are collected there. After the agreement is signed, the portal registrations and approval procedures on the organiser's side begin; Inside carries them out on the exhibitor's behalf.

According to Inside's experience on site, the portal asks companies for:

an image of the stand they plan to bring and its general technical dimensions,
the amount of electricity to be requested,
details of the company and the team that will build the stand.

If the stand will use plumbing and a sink, the portal also asks about this for advance preparation and invoicing; extra requirements are invoiced to the exhibitor.

A ceiling structure is not used in Turkey, but it can be used in Germany, for example, within the weight and area information given by the organiser. For a stand prepared this way, a separate ceiling structure usage fee is charged.

Part of the information in the portal goes to the technical office affiliated with the organiser and to the fair centre team. With this information the organiser carries out work planning, collection of additional charges, area control and project control.

Deutsche Messe's exhibitor information document lists hall-specific technical project managers for the approval of stand design and of structures requiring approval, and hall-specific companies for electricity and water connections. Exhibitor passes are managed in the exhibitor shop (shop.hannovermesse.de).

Which tasks does Inside Exhibition carry out on the exhibitor's behalf at fairs abroad?

Inside Exhibition is an Istanbul-based company focused on the design, technical documentation and build of custom-designed exhibition stands. At fairs abroad, Inside carries out the organiser-side procedures for the stand infrastructure on the exhibitor's behalf, and its team is on site throughout the fair. What follows is its general way of working; details vary by fair and exhibitor. Build-up teams work on long-stay visas, so no separate application is made for each fair. The visas of the team assigned to each project are checked, and renewal applications for visas about to expire are started in advance, according to their expiry dates. For unplanned situations, support comes from subcontractors abroad.

Portal, documents and correspondence

Inside carries out the correspondence concerning the stand infrastructure on the exhibitor's behalf and submits the team's documents, the technical dimensions of the stand and the applications to the technical office affiliated with the organiser and to the occupational safety offices. The documents and applications on the exhibitor's portal page are followed up on the exhibitor's behalf. This work is completed before build-up, with the aim of avoiding lost time on site. The purpose of the arrangement is to reduce the workload on the exhibitor's side.

Receiving products at the grounds

If the exhibitor's products reach the grounds one day before the fair, the Inside team receives the delivery on site, so the exhibitor's representative does not need to be at the grounds a day early just for this. Inside does not act as a carrier in this arrangement; the carrier's liability and any transport agreements with the organiser rest with the carrier and the exhibitor. For the ATA Carnet and temporary import of the exhibitor's own products, Inside is not the contractor; its shipping and transfer process covers the stand materials of its own project.

Handing products to the carrier after the fair

If the exhibitor asks, the Inside team hands the products remaining at the end of the fair to the carrier the exhibitor works with. The handover paperwork is collected and the handover is photographed; the documents reach Inside and are passed on to the exhibitor. This way, the exhibitor's representatives do not need to wait on the grounds after the fair closes.

Site team for product assembly

For the assembly of the displayed products, Inside has a team it has formed itself, present on site for special jobs and requests.

Suspended ceilings and graphic areas

At fairs where a ceiling structure can be used, Inside will, if the exhibitor wishes, design and build a suspended ceiling and graphic area within the weight and area information the organiser provides.

How do you get to the Hannover Messe grounds?

From the airport, the S5 goes to the exhibition grounds via Hannover main station. From the main station, line 8 or 18 reaches the Nord 1 and 2 entrances of the grounds. The S4 goes to Hannover Messe/Laatzen station, which is linked to the West 1 entrance by a covered walkway (Skywalk). For current lines, parking fees and traffic information, see the exhibitor travel page and the visitor travel page.

Where do you find a hotel for Hannover Messe?

get2fairs is Deutsche Messe's accommodation service; it arranges individual accommodation in Hannover and the surrounding area, together with mobility planning. The exhibitor page recommends booking either directly with hotels or through get2fairs; the visitor page offers both (exhibitor accommodation, visitor accommodation). Deutsche Messe's accommodation page lists seven booking services with which it has no commercial affiliation, recommends only get2fairs for accommodation, and states that fraudulent practices cannot be ruled out with other providers. Hotels that commit to the joint criteria of Deutsche Messe and DEHOGA Region Hannover use the "Messe Selected Hotels" designation; the hotel list is on a separate page. The caravan site and cabin accommodation across from the exhibition grounds are also open to exhibitors and visitors; the terms are on the accommodation pages.

German visa for Hannover Messe: how do you get one, and is an appointment needed?

According to the German Embassy in Ankara, fair visitors must always make an appointment. For exhibitors there is an appointment-free option, the details of which the Embassy gives on another page of its website. Stand-building staff need an appointment; the consulate accepts the application at an interview on the appointment date. Registration on the "business" waiting list through the iDATA site is requested for the visa application (fair visa page).

Visitors. The Embassy asks for the fair ticket or the online registration record as proof of the purpose of travel. Deutsche Messe, for its part, writes that issuing a visa is conditional on the purchase of a full-event ticket for the fair (Deutsche Messe, visa).

Exhibitors. Requested: the exhibitor pass, an invoice showing the stand rent has been paid, and the fair's exhibitor list (if the company is listed) or a letter from the organiser or the relevant foreign mission together with the exhibiting company's own letter. Deutsche Messe also asks, as a rule, for the stand confirmation and/or the rental invoice. Since 2013, Deutsche Messe has not offered invitation letters for fair visas; in individual cases there is an invitation form on Deutsche Messe's visa page.

Stand-building staff. Requested: a signed contract between the company exhibiting the products and the company that builds and dismantles the stand, and the same supporting documents. Stand-building staff need an appointment; the consulate accepts the application at an interview on the appointment date. According to a letter from the Turkish Ministry of Trade, the appointment-free application is made only with a valid exhibitor pass; if the conditions cannot be proved with documents, an appointment is required. The letter appears as a quotation, together with an iDATA announcement, on an exporters' association website (turkishjewellery.org.tr).

Fee. Exhibitors who document that they travel to display products, and stand-building staff who apply only for the duration of the fair (taking into account the time needed for build-up and dismantling before and after the fair), are exempt from the visa fee. The exemption applies only to visas issued for the duration of the fair; a long-stay visa is charged.

How early? The Embassy's general Schengen page states that the wait from obtaining an appointment to the decision on the application can be long; it can be measured in months. The page asks for registration on the waiting list as early as possible and gives appointments in order of registration date.

Does the Ministry of Trade support participation in Hannover Messe?

Under Article 7 of Decision No. 5973, the Ministry supports exporters' participation with a stand in fairs abroad (Ministry, fair support). Whether a fair is covered is checked in the Ministry's annual lists of fairs abroad.

Organised participation and individual participation. The Circular on Fair Support defines two separate routes. For fair organisations abroad, the authority that reviews the application is set by the Ministry's General Directorate of Exports. For fairs whose individual participation is supported, the application is concluded by the General Secretariat of the exporters' association (İBGS) the exhibitor belongs to; an exhibitor that is not a member applies to any İBGS. On both routes the exhibitor must apply through the Support Management System (DYS), with documents, within 3 months after the end of the fair; an application that misses the deadline is not evaluated.

Ceiling. An annual ceiling table is published for the support, by fair type (general, sectoral, prestigious); current amounts are on the Ministry's ceiling page.

What should those visiting Hannover Messe as visitors know?

What ticket types are there for Hannover Messe, and where do you find the price?

Visitor tickets are sold as day tickets, full-event tickets and reduced tickets. A day ticket gives one entry on the selected day; a full-event ticket is valid for the entire duration of the fair. For day and full-event tickets, the advance-sale price and the box-office price differ. The reduced ticket is for groups such as school pupils, trainees, students and people aged 65 and over; the age limit and the proof required are on the ticket page, and eligibility is checked on site. For current prices, see the official ticket page.

What are the Hannover Messe opening hours and entry rules?

The hours are published on the opening hours page. Security checks are carried out at all entrances; the contents of bags such as handbags, backpacks and suitcases are examined.

What is there to see in the Hannover region?

For places to visit in the Hannover region, see hannover.de and Deutsche Messe's Hannover Guide document.

Frequently asked questions

On which dates and at what times is Hannover Messe held?

Dates and times are on the official pages: dates and opening hours.

How much is a Hannover Messe ticket?

Prices change; see the official ticket page. Day tickets, full-event tickets and reduced tickets are sold.

Where are the Hannover exhibition grounds, and how do you get there?

At 30521 Hannover. From the airport, take the S5 to the exhibition grounds via the main station; from the main station, line 8 or 18 reaches the Nord 1 and 2 entrances.

How do you get a visa for Hannover Messe?

According to the Embassy, visitors must always make an appointment; for exhibitors there is an appointment-free option. Stand-building staff need an appointment; the consulate accepts the application at an interview on the appointment date. A contract and supporting documents are requested.

Where do you find a hotel for Hannover Messe?

Deutsche Messe's service is get2fairs; there is also a "Messe Selected Hotels" list and direct hotel booking.

How do you get an ATA Carnet?

From the chambers authorised to distribute carnets; the guarantee is half of the total value of the goods.

How do you obtain government support for a fair abroad?

Within 3 months after the end of the fair, through the DYS, with documents; whether a fair is covered is checked in the Ministry's annual list.

For other grounds in Germany see the Messe Köln guide, the Messe Düsseldorf guide, the Messe Frankfurt guide, the Messe Nürnberg guide, the Messe München guide and the Messe Stuttgart guide.

Sources

The exhibitor information A-Z document belongs to the 2026 edition.