Sweden's Elmia Wood, one of the trade events organizers Elmia AB’s most international and long-lived fairs, is now taking the next step in developing the in-the-woods demonstration fair concept. As part of this initiative, Elmia will organize Elmia Wood every two years instead of every four.
Historically, Elmia Wood, one of the world’s largest forestry demo tradeshows, was held once every four years in tandem with the nationally focused SkogsElmia demo tradeshow that too was once every four years.
This arrangement meant that Elmia organized a forestry demo tradeshow on a two-year cycle alternating between the global Elmia Wood and the nationally focused SkogsElmia events respectively.
In more recent years the distinction between the two had, from a visitor’s perspective become blurred, and in an ever more globalized forestry world something of a communicative headache.
Elmia Wood on a biennial cycle
With a new landowner agreement with Bratteborg Estate, outside Vaggeryd that extends until 2029, with an option for an extension until 2037, Elmia has decided to pause SkogsElmia and step up Elmia Wood to a biennial cycle starting on June 5–7, 2025, followed by May 20–22, 2027, and June 7–9, 2029.
We are proud of Elmia Wood as a forestry fair with high quality and an international focus. It is a concept that gathers the entire forestry industry in the forest, and we see great potential in letting the fair continue to grow and develop at Bratteborg, said Johannes Hansson, Fair Manager for Elmia Wood adding that the decision follows extensive dialogue with stakeholders from different aspects of the forestry value chain.
Furthermore, as Johannes Hansson pointed out, securing a long-term agreement for the forest exhibition site with the owner of Bratteborg Estate enables presumptive exhibitors to plan and decide on the extent of participation for a given Elmia Wood event several years in advance.
As it stands today, some of the big forest machinery names are absent from the exhibitor list for Elmia Wood 2025 but we certainly hope to welcome them at future fairs. Knowing future Elmia Wood dates this far in advance and that we will continue to be located at Bratteborg means that an exhibitor can already now decide on which forestry tradeshows are important for them in 2025, 2027, and 2029, and prioritize investments accordingly, Johannes Hansson said.
New features for 2025
On the topic of Elmia Wood 2025, there is more interest from exhibitors for Elmia Wood 2025 than at the previous edition held in 2022.
It’s fantastic to see the increased interest from our exhibitors, and that planning for Elmia Wood 2025 is in full swing. We continue to target visitors in the forestry sector, including professionals, small-scale operators, and family-run forestry businesses. We will introduce several new features but there will also be elements familiar to visitors and exhibitors from previous events. They will undoubtedly have an impressive fair experience in the forest, said Johannes Hansson.
According to Johannes Hansson, new features include an improved fair loop approximately 3.5 km long, a more compact exhibition area, and dedicated shortcuts for an even better experience for visitors and exhibitors.
Visitors will be able to get around the circuit quicker and several times. This aims to spread visitors out more evenly through the day avoiding the previous tide-like surges between the field area and the forest circuit.
We have increased our focus on machinery demonstrations, news, and technology innovations across the board. In addition, there is a brand-new area for urban forestry, tree care, and arboriculture, ended Johannes Hansson.
Roll on Elmia Wood 2025 – with KWF Tagung, IUFRO World Congress, FinnMetko, and Demo International completing major forestry happenings in 2024, and implementation of the EU Deforestation Directive (EUDR) ahead, Elmia Wood 2025 ought to be of pertinent interest to practical folks in the forest ecosystem of values, products, and services, whatever these may be.
