Wood & Wood Products Publisher Laurel Didier and Editor Karen Koenig made the trek to Hannover with video camera in hand to see European machinery innovations in action. During the show's second day, Publisher Laurel Didier sat down with Stephan Kühne, member of the board for Deutsche Messe, the show’s management, and discussed his current views on the industry and future plans for Ligna.

HANNOVER, GERMANY — Day two of the Ligna Fair saw an increase in attendance throughout the show’s 14 exhibit halls. According to Stephan Kühne, member of the board for Deutsche Messe, the show’s management, the projected attendance for 2009 is only slightly less than the record-setting numbers achieved in 2007.

In fact, some companies are already reporting leads matching, or in some cases, exceeding those received in the first two days the previous show.

“I think some of the popularity may be due to the focus of the show: Resource Efficiency,” Kühne said. "Making more out of wood — energy and resource conservation — is a goal that is universal throughout the woodworking industry."

“What I’ve seen in the innovations this year is really tremendous,” he said. “Innovation is the best weapon against any crisis.”

Scroll the pictures below to get a glimpse of the exhibit halls during day two of Ligna.