Platformers’ Days 2026: The industry gives a positive assessment of its flagship trade fair

Karlsruhe, 12 October 2026. Platformers’ Days 2026 has drawn to a close on a positive note. Over 2,800 attendees from 17 countries gathered at the Karlsruhe Exhibition Centre on 8 and 9 October to find out about the latest developments in the fields of aerial working platforms, cranes and forklifts.

Across more than 32,000 square metres of exhibition space, over 128 exhibitors from 14 countries – including all the leading brands – came together, representing an 11 per cent increase in the number of exhibitors. Trade visitors travelled to Karlsruhe from all German federal states; over 40 per cent travelled more than 300 kilometres to attend, thereby confirming the Platformers’ Days in Karlsruhe’s status as the leading event.

“Over the past few days, Platformers’ Days 2026 has been described on several occasions as ‘the best edition ever’. The trade fair has impressively demonstrated the importance of face-to-face meetings, technological innovations and practical exchanges for a forward-looking industry. The growth in the number of exhibitors, the quality of the product presentations and the event’s increasing national and international profile confirm its strong development. Platformers’ Days is now firmly established in Karlsruhe and thus fits perfectly with the Karlsruhe TechnologyRegion, one of Europe’s strongest economic and innovation regions; with its thematic clusters covering commercial vehicles (NUFAM), heavy-haul transport (Internationale Schwerlasttage), recycling and civil engineering (RecyclingAKTIV & TiefbauLIVE), they play a key role in our trade fair portfolio,” says Britta Wirtz, Managing Director of Messe Karlsruhe.

A strong core programme and new formats provide important impetus

“Our core offering is stronger than ever before. Platformers’ Days is the leading trade fair platform for the aerial working platform sector and offers the industry a high concentration of relevant manufacturers, dealers, hire companies and end-users. At the same time, we are able to create additional value for our target groups through selected supplementary offerings,” says Beate Frères, Division Manager at Messe Karlsruhe.

A key focus of this year’s event was on the further developed presentation formats. The special exhibition for industrial trucks in Hall 1 brought together solutions from the forklift sector for the first time. Together with StaplerPlus and selected partners, products and developments in industrial truck technology were showcased. On the test track in the Low-Level Access Area, visitors were able to compare compact passenger lifts under realistic conditions. The focus was on, amongst other things, ease of operation, manoeuvrability and safety features. During the demonstrations in the outdoor demo area, visitors saw aerial working platforms, mini-cranes and telescopic forklifts in action.

“At the Platformers’ Days, we meet exactly the right trade visitors: they are primarily managing directors and decision-makers from the industry who are specifically looking for work platforms. The most important buyer group here is rental companies. This target group is represented here in just the right mix. For them, it’s a must to be here at the Platformers’ Days,” says Florian Büscher, Head of Sales Europe at Teupen Maschinenbau GmbH.

In addition to the exhibition areas, the supporting programme offered further opportunities for information and networking. Presentation slots at GEDA and Infosystem complemented the technical programme. The joint project “Girls Wanted: Talent over Gender” by Niederstätter, CARGOTRANS and the Platformers’ Days highlighted the importance of equal opportunities and attracting young talent to the rental sector.

High relevance to day-to-day business

The proportion of trade visitors surveyed who were aiming to make a purchase, place an order or conclude a business deal at the Platformers’ Days remains high at over 70 per cent. Consequently, they gave the event a positive review: 93 per cent awarded their visit to the trade fair top marks. 95 per cent of those surveyed expressed high satisfaction with the quality of the exhibitors and rated the Platformers’ Days as the leading trade fair with high relevance for the sector in the DACH region.

“Speaking on our behalf, I can say: we were satisfied. We saw a high calibre of visitors – whether large rental companies, dealers, SMEs or repair shops. We had a surprisingly high number of contacts from northern Germany and also some from Austria. Overall, quality and quantity were very much in balance,” summarises Robin Kolhoff, Managing Director of TVH Deutschland GmbH, which exhibited at Platformers’ Days in Karlsruhe for the first time this year.

“The trade fair went phenomenally well. We had very interesting and high-calibre trade visitors at our stand right from the start. We always have very good discussions, very good enquiries and very good orders here. There’s nothing comparable to this in terms of trade fairs. We’ve already registered for 2028,” says Tobias Lindner, Sales Manager for the Eastern Region at Jekko Deutschland GmbH.

A balanced combination of trade fair, product showcase and networking

The Platformers’ Days combine a traditional trade fair, hands-on product experience and personal interaction. This combination creates a balanced mix of market overview, practical application and networking.

Under the theme ‘Sports & Skills’, the PD Networking Night on the evening of the first day of the trade fair was once again a resounding success, offering around 1,000 guests from the industry an atmospheric setting for further discussion and networking.

A look ahead to the next edition in 2028

Messe Karlsruhe is working with the industry steering group to further refine the event concept in a targeted manner, thereby creating reliable framework conditions. The biennial trade fair cycle, the October date and the fact that the fair takes place on a Thursday and Friday enhance the event’s value and predictability – an assessment that was also confirmed by exhibitors and trade visitors on site.

“Numerous exhibitors have already confirmed their participation for 2028. Furthermore, 87 per cent of trade visitors plan to return. This confirms the event’s high relevance to the industry. We would like to thank all exhibitors, partners, trade visitors and those involved. Their positive feedback forms the basis for the further development of the Platformers’ Days,” says Philipp Doll, project manager of the Platformers’ Days.

The next edition of Platformers’ Days will take place on 12 and 13 October 2028 in Karlsruhe. The biennial trade fair cycle and the dates – Thursday and Friday of the second week of October – will therefore continue. Exhibitors still have the opportunity to secure their stand again; the early-bird discount, which also applies to new exhibitors, is valid until 31 March 2027.

Further information on Platformers’ Days is available at www.platformers-days.de.