INTERSCHUTZ 2026 welcomed around 140,000 visitors from 144 countries, reinforcing its position as the world’s leading trade fair for firefighting, rescue services and civil protection.
Held in Hanover from Monday, June 1 to Saturday, June 6, the event highlighted the growing global importance of safety, resilience and emergency preparedness.
International attendance increased significantly, with overseas visitors accounting for 24% of total attendance, almost double the 13% recorded at the 2015 event.
Record International Participation
The exhibition featured 1,772 exhibitors from 55 countries across approximately 120,000 square metres of exhibition space.
The event demonstrated strong demand for innovation, international cooperation and knowledge exchange as resilience and civil protection continue to rise on global agendas.
The exhibition’s focus on civil protection reflected growing concerns around natural disasters, extreme weather events and hybrid threats, with solutions to these challenges showcased throughout the six-day event under the theme “Safeguarding Tomorrow”.
Focus on Resilience and Civil Protection
INTERSCHUTZ 2026 highlighted the increasing importance of local preparedness, international collaboration and modern technologies that support emergency responders and improve operational effectiveness.
Civil-military cooperation featured prominently, including presentations on Germany’s Operations Plan and the role resilience plays across government, business and society.
A modular bunker system also attracted considerable visitor interest.
Innovation and Digital Transformation
Digitisation and artificial intelligence were key themes across the nine exhibition halls and outdoor areas.
Exhibitors showcased advanced control room systems capable of analysing emergency calls in multiple languages, generating situational assessments and coordinating resources with greater precision.
Robotics, sustainability and climate change adaptation also featured strongly. The inaugural WildfireCamp focused on technologies for wildfire prevention, detection and response.
Strong Industry Engagement
The event attracted significant interest in new technologies, emergency vehicles, protective equipment and operational solutions.
One of the major attractions was a 3,000 square metre mobile field hospital presented by the German Red Cross.
INTERSCHUTZ 2026 also featured expert conferences, live demonstrations, rescue competitions and interactive activities for visitors from around the world.
The event was marked by the tragic death of a professional firefighter during the FireFit Championships Europe.
The INTERSCHUTZ community paid tribute to his service and expressed condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
INTERSCHUTZ 2026 Sets New International Benchmark
Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Managing Board of Deutsche Messe AG, said: “The importance of fire and rescue services and civil protection is more deeply embedded in people’s minds today than ever before – and this is true around the world.
“Our customers made it clear in advance that they expected us to increase the share of international visitors at INTERSCHUTZ.
“We have achieved that goal. Compared with 2015, the proportion of international visitors has almost doubled, rising from 13 to 24 percent.
“This result underscores INTERSCHUTZ’s central role at a time when resilience and civil protection are gaining importance worldwide.
“By deciding to place civil protection at the heart of the exhibition, we set the right course for the event’s success at an early stage. The industry’s response has validated that strategy.
Civil Protection and Resilience in Focus
“At INTERSCHUTZ 2026, solutions to these challenges could be found in one place as nowhere else in the world.
“In that sense, the show’s guiding theme, ‘Safeguarding Tomorrow’, set the pace for all six days of the event.”
Innovation Driving Emergency Response
“The security and operational readiness of our society are increasingly determined at the local level – by well-trained, hands-on people who take responsibility and help others when it matters most; by capable organizations that are working together more closely across borders; and by modern products and technologies that protect emergency responders, accelerate decision-making and ultimately save lives.
“Anyone looking for innovation comes to INTERSCHUTZ. Nowhere else will they find a comparable range of high-performance technology for fire and rescue services.
Industry Collaboration at INTERSCHUTZ
Dr. Tobias Ehrhard, Managing Director of the Firefighting Technology Association within the VDMA Firefighting Technology Association, said: “Nowhere else is the dialogue between manufacturers and users, between fire services, industry and municipal decision-makers, given such prominence.
“The association is an institutional partner of the world’s leading trade fair, alongside the vfdb and the German Fire Services Association (DFV).
““The outstanding response to INTERSCHUTZ 2026 once again demonstrates that Hanover is, and will remain, the driving force and guiding compass for modern firefighting and resilient civil protection,” Ehrhard added.
Knowledge Exchange Across the Sector
Dirk Aschenbrenner, President of the vfdb, said: “Nowhere else does such an intensive exchange take place between education and research, industry and frontline emergency responders as here at INTERSCHUTZ in Hanover.
“At the same time, it is important to me to emphasize the contribution of the non-commercial partners and exhibitors, whose commitment is a key factor in the success of this world-leading trade fair.”
The next INTERSCHUTZ will take place in Hanover from 20 to 25 May 2030.
