Hannover/Yekaterinburg. This year marked the second time that the LESPROM-Ural Professional trade show was co-organized by Deutsche Messe's Russian subsidiary, OOO Deutsche Messe RUS, and local trade fair organizer Interregional Exhibition Company-Ural (IEC-Ural). LESPROM-Ural Professional, which was held alongside the ExpoMeble furniture fair from 22 to 25 September in Yekaterinburg, today ranks as the most important trade fair for the furniture, furniture accessories, woodworking machinery and forestry industries in Russia's Ural region. This year, it attracted over 6,000 trade visitors.

The primary processing sector was once again well represented by big-name exhibitors, such as Komatsu, Ponsse and Stihl. The open-air site featured a comprehensive lineup of forestry machines. One of the trade show partner organizations, the Ural State Forest Engineering University (USFEU), offered a forest excursion featuring practical demonstrations.

The organizers of the German national pavilion - which featured a number of well-known companies, such as LEITZ, LEUCO, VECOPLAN, IMA KLESSMAN, Klebchemie Becker, Hundegger and Venjacob - were very pleased with the fair. LESPROM-Ural Professional also featured displays by the local representatives of HOMAG, Altendorf, Wassmer and Remmers, as well as woodworking machinery exhibits from Austrian and Spanish manufacturers.

Another key highlight at this year's fair was the program of supporting events, which included the "X International Symposium on Woodworking" and a number of roundtable discussions, seminars and conferences. The latter included a conference on German-Russian business relations with delegates from the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), the German-Russian Chamber of Commerce and the German trade fair company Hannover Fairs International. The event, which was organized by Moscow-based Schneider Consulting, featured open and frank discussion on a variety of topics, such as "Future Vision: Free Trade from Vladivostok to Lisbon" and revitalizing German-Russian Business Relations.

The next LESPROM-URAL Professional show will be held from 20 to 23 September 2016.