Hannover. Held every day from 27 to 31 May, the LIGNA Training Workshops run for about 90 minutes each and cover a range of subject areas and trends that are highly relevant to the woodworking trades. They are an excellent opportunity for participants to try out new products from selected exhibitors. The workshops will focus on power tools, assembly aids and adhesives for the woodworking trades and will also include presentations on the effective use of social media and networks. The LIGNA Training Workshops were first held at LIGNA 2017. They were introduced out of the realization that technological change in the woodworking and allied trades poses significant challenges, with practitioners under pressure to navigate a growing array of equipment and materials as they seek to boost efficiency and maintain their craftsmanship edge. "Efficiency and quality are critical to success in the woodworking and assembly trades, particularly when working to tight deadlines," explains Elke Hein, Deutsche Messe's Project Director responsible for the LIGNA Training Workshops.

Hands-on experience and valuable pointers

While the participating exhibitors do have demonstration areas at their own exhibition stands, things there are generally too busy and hectic for in-depth presentations of all the benefits of the new products and systems on offer. Pavilion 11 fronting Hall 11, on the other hand, offers a quiet oasis away from the crowds that is conducive to learning. The workshops start with classroom-style learning, with participating visitors sitting at café-style tables taking notes while expert speakers and trainers communicate the finer technical points using start-of-the-art presentation systems. Armed with this new knowledge, the participants then get to roll up their sleeves, pick up some tools and start working on pre-prepared work-pieces.

Participation in the Training Workshops is free of charge to woodworking and installation/assembly professionals and requires prior registration. Once registered, each participant is sent an electronic code which they must use to obtain a ticket for admission to the LIGNA venue and hence to the workshops. Once they have completed their workshop, participants can request a certificate of completion. The exhibitors running workshops and issuing the certificates are big-name equipment providers to the wood industry, so the certificates are recognized proof of professional development that will add value to any business or CV.

Current information and videos online

The partners of this year's LIGNA Training Workshops are Tischler Nord (the joinery associations for Lower Saxony/Bremen and Hamburg/Schleswig-Holstein) and Tischler Nordrhein-Westfalen (the North Rhine-Westphalia joinery association). These two organizations represent a large number of woodworking professionals in the northern part of Germany. Tischler NRW CEO Dr. Johann Quatmann explains why his organization is supporting the LIGNA Training Workshops: "The LIGNA Training Workshops offer excellent value, both to individual traders and to woodworking companies that take their employees to LIGNA, (...) because the participants get to do so much more than just look at the latest tools; they actually get to try them out, compare them, and, what's more, gather key information directly from the manufacturers."

Stockists and distributors of tools and materials are vitally important parts of the business ecosystem in which today's mobile woodworkers and assembly and installation firms operate. In recognition of this, the workshop organizers have brought GEWEMA AG on board as the official distribution channel partner. Headed by its CEO Peter Eibl and Supervisory Board Chairman Thomas Rieth, GEWEMA is an important distribution channel for manufacturers, stockists and buyers of woodworking tools and machinery. It is enjoying solid growth and is thus a perfect match for LIGNA's budding workshop program. The media partner of the LIGNA Training Workshops is exakt magazine, published by Germany's DRW-Verlag Weinbrenner GmbH & Co. KG. exakt has a long history as the trade journal of choice for carpenters, cabinetmakers, interior finishing and installation and assembly professionals in Germany. It provided extensive coverage of the premiere of the LIGNA Training Workshops back in 2017.

Festool: Perfect edges and reliable joints

Tool manufacturer Festool invites prospective participants to "have a go and work on a real project" at its two workshops. In the first, the instructors will teach participants how to apply and finish the perfect edge band using the Festool Conturo KA 65 edge-bander. In the second, participants will learn all about Festool's Domino joining system by trying their hand at making panel, frame and rack joints.

Kleiberit and Bessey: Reliable adhesives and intelligent assembly tools

In this series of workshops, participants will pick up a wealth of valuable tips for fast and reliable door assembly using tools from Bessey and Kleiberit Supra-Foam adhesives. The instructors will also demonstrate how to avoid adhesive joint failure when using PUR and PVAC glues and STP adhesives in the manufacture of furniture, windows and stairs. In a third workshop, experts will teach participants how to use PUR and EVA hot melt adhesives to create edge joints that look great and are extremely resistant to water, humidity and heat.

Mafell: Accurate holes and perfect dowel joints

In its workshop, Mafell will be showing participants how to get the best out of its new DuoDoweler DDF 40 dowel jointing system. The DDF 40 quickly and accurately produces holes for standard round wood dowel joints, holes for hardware, and rows of holes with 32 mm spacing. The system is intuitive to use and features an extensive line-up of accessories. The workshop instructors will demonstrate its benefits in furniture carcass construction, in jointing elements at odd angles, and in the manufacture of frames for windows, doors and stairs.

Schlütersche: Social networks and effective customer acquisition

Schlütersche is a German publishing and marketing company that combines specialist expertise in a range of industries with marketing smarts. Its many publications include the carpentry and joinery industry journal genau. On three of the LIGNA show days, highly experienced Schlütersche editors and media experts will team up with proprietors of woodworking firms to run workshops on how trade professionals can effectively leverage social media to get results. The key message is that having a presence and reach on Instagram, Pinterest and other platforms is a simple, cost-effective and fast way to win new customers.

From 27 to 31 May 2019, the pavilion fronting Hall 11 at the Hannover Exhibition Center will be abuzz with the LIGNA Training Workshops for joiners, cabinetmakers, carpenters, assemblers and installers. The workshops are supported by two leading representative organizations in the joinery trade, Tischler-Nord and Tischler-NRW, and will be run by LIGNA exhibitors Festool, Kleiberit, Bessey, Mafell and Schlütersche. Woodworking and assembly professionals interested in attending will find detailed program information and an online registration form (participation is free of charge) on the LIGNA website at this address:
www.ligna.de/en/expo-program/specials/ligna-trainings/

Note for journalists

You are cordially invited to attend the training workshops, which will be held in the pavilion fronting Hall 11. If you would like to conduct an interview with any of the participants, e.g. training instructors or media representatives of the participating exhibitors, please be sure to reserve a slot well in advance. That way you can have confidence that the people you want to talk to will be available and that you will be able to conduct your interview in a relaxed atmosphere. Please refrain from asking questions during the actual workshop sessions. Workshop time is limited and is reserved strictly for workshop participants.