Hannover, Germany. In light of the announced strike by ver.di on the first two days of HANNOVER MESSE 2026 (April 20 and 21), which will bring public transport in Hanover to a standstill, Deutsche Messe AG expresses strong criticism and deep concern regarding the impact on the trade fair and business location.

“With all due respect for the right to strike, I find it in no way comprehensible that deliberate damage is being inflicted on the location in this manner. The strike represents a significant and disproportionate burden on the Hanover trade fair venue and threatens to cause lasting harm,” says Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Managing Board of Deutsche Messe AG.

Thousands of international guests are particularly affected, many of whom are traveling from far away and will not be able to rely on functioning public transport on site. This results in considerable reputational damage for Hanover as an international trade fair and business hub.

Comprehensive measures to support exhibitors and visitors

Deutsche Messe has launched a package of measures to mitigate the effects of the strike as effectively as possible:

Shuttle bus service from the central station: Direct shuttle connections from Hanover Central Station and Hanover Bismarckstraße station to the exhibition grounds; on-site guides will provide information on these travel options and direct visitors to the shuttle buses. (Deployment of 12 articulated buses and four city buses between 06:00 and 19:00)

Shuttle bus service from hotels: Additional buses will be deployed to transport guests from high-frequency hotels to the exhibition grounds.

Expansion of S-Bahn services: An additional connection will supplement the direct S-Bahn service from the central station to the Messe/Laatzen station. This will provide three S-Bahn connections per hour between 6:30 a.m. and 8:00 p.m.

Increased taxi capacity: Additional capacities are being organized in close coordination with the taxi industry.

Refreshments during waiting times: During possible waiting times, guests at the exhibition grounds will be provided with drinks and snacks to make their stay as pleasant as possible.

Extensive communication: Exhibitors, visitors, and partners are being continuously informed via all relevant channels.

Deutsche Messe makes a clear appeal to ver.di to exercise moderation and to appropriately consider the outstanding importance of HANNOVER MESSE for the location. The trade fair’s partner associations, VDMA (German Engineering Federation) and ZVEI (German Electrical and Digital Industry Association), fully support this appeal:

Thilo Brodtmann, Executive Director of VDMA:
“Anyone who wants to deliberately damage the reputation of Germany as an industrial location around the world calls for a strike on the first two days of HANNOVER MESSE. While future technologies are being presented in the exhibition halls, visitors from Germany and abroad are stranded at airports, train stations, or in their hotels because no buses or trains are running. Of course, the right to strike is undisputed. But ver.di must ask itself whether its particular interests are truly worth providing the world with yet more images of a non-functioning German infrastructure. In the end, we will all pay a high price for this disservice by the union.”

Wolfgang Weber, Chairman of the ZVEI Management Board:
“The warning strike is completely disproportionate. ver.di is showing disregard for Germany as a business location and is causing it serious damage. The right to strike is a valuable asset and should be exercised responsibly. Unfortunately, ver.di fails to provide this evidence. Those affected are not only exhibitors, visitors, and international guests, but ultimately also employees: nearly 900,000 people work in the electrical and digital industry.”