LogiMAT will culminate a 25-year success story in Stuttgart when it opens its doors next March 16th. Two and a half decades of technological development marked by sweeping changes and a profound increase in the importance of intralogistics. Throughout this era, LogiMAT has often played a visionary role in advancing the adoption of new technologies and forward-looking solutions.
A key ingredient in the success of LogiMAT has been its innovative approach: its consistent focus on presenting sustainable solutions, its business-oriented vibe, and its unique conference-level program of free events. LogiMAT’s evolution has been closely linked to its home in Stuttgart. “We have witnessed how the event grew at Killesberg, moved to our new venue in 2008, and continued its dynamic growth there. Today, LogiMAT occupies all ten halls every year, filling the entire exhibition grounds. It brings the international intralogistics industry to Stuttgart,” says Stefan Lohnert, President of Messe Stuttgart”.
Since its debut in 2003 at the old Stuttgart Killesberg exhibition grounds, LogiMAT has been a beacon for key industry trends – a platform for tried-and-true solutions offering a one-stop snapshot of the industry. A glance at the first catalog reveals that from the very beginning, LogiMAT’s content and concept were aligned with a clear organization of exhibitors by segment and a sophisticated accompanying program – a recipe for success that has continued to the present day. This strategy has accompanied its evolution over the past two and a half decades from a largely regional event to the most important annual international trade show for intralogistics and process management and a magnet for exhibitors and professionals alike. LogiMAT’s trajectory offers something of a chronicle of the time, reflecting the explosive growth of intralogistics technology. “As an early adopter of cutting-edge trends and solutions for efficient intralogistics, LogiMAT serves as a catalyst for optimizing logistics and production processes, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises,” notes Exhibition Director Michael Ruchty from Munich-based event organizer EUROEXPO.
Five formative years at Killesberg
Visitors to LogiMAT knew back in 2006 how e-commerce would affect logistics and what kind of solutions were needed to overcome these challenges. Logistics Business has been exibiting since 2006. The year 2007 saw the introduction of cloud-based solutions, known at the time as software as a service (SaaS). The show in March 2009 saw a shift from process-oriented software to a service-oriented architecture that brought the intralogistics industry such benefits as automated guided vehicles (AGVs), swarm technology, and end-to-end system integration. By 2010, LogiMAT was even presenting solutions for energy-efficient intralogistics, sustainable warehouse construction, and environmentally friendly industrial trucks – concepts now known collectively as “green logistics.” The widespread adoption of shuttle systems and fully scalable warehousing systems, coupled with breakthroughs in software solutions, machine vision, communications technology, state-of-the-art energy storage, and ultimately robotics: LogiMAT provided a platform for these developments early on, consistently promoted them, and helped nurture their growth. Today, they are standard features of flexible intralogistics solutions.
The first LogiMAT at Stuttgart Messe in Killesberg featured 160 exhibitors presenting their solutions and innovations. Dr. Michael ten Hompel was already talking about robots and AGVs in material flow technology, constructive packaging options were on the agenda, while the AIDC sector grappled with the pros and cons of 2D codes and RFID. The exhibitors at LogiMAT 2003 were already pointing the way toward a high-tech future with new fulfillment technologies such as pick-by-light and pick-by-voice while touting the potential of cloud-based software systems to streamline processes. In its debut year, LogiMAT drew some 3,700 visitors, eager for the opportunity to learn about all the latest industry trends under one roof. In 2026, by comparison, the event attracted an astounding 69,856 professionals and 1,671 exhibitors from around the world. LogiMAT today is truly international, with a full 37% of exhibitors coming to Stuttgart from 46 countries.
The years 2004 and 2005 saw the rollout of picking processes and pick-by-voice systems. The accompanying program also featured complex automated logistics and intralogistics networks while foreshadowing autonomous self-organizing systems, the internet of things, and industrial automation. The first mobile robots hinted at the automation of intralogistics that would follow. And in just two years, LogiMAT had nearly doubled in size to welcome 7,230 visitors and 289 exhibitors. “By its third year, LogiMAT had already become a trailblazer for state-of-the-art intralogistics,” boasts Ruchty.
An industry event aligned with evolving technologies
Just one year later, LogiMAT had already established itself a must-attend event showcasing industry trends, hosting innovative product launches, helping business leaders make sound investment decisions, and offering top-notch networking opportunities. The accompanying program of 2006 highlighted e-commerce, digital logistics, and material flow automation – themes that now dominate the industry – and introduced the “internet of things” as a concept. The fifth and final LogiMAT at the Killesberg site in 2007 broke all previous records with 463 exhibitors and 11,000 visitors.
When LogiMAT moved to the new Messe Stuttgart convention center at Stuttgart International Airport in 2008, it initially occupied three exhibit halls with over 571 exhibitors and 15,000 visitors before its meteoric rise to become the leading international platform for a rapidly evolving industry. Visitors and exhibitors in 2009 were all abuzz with talk of “vehicle swarms,” smart integration, energy efficiency, and AGV fleets. In the three years that followed, LogiMAT grew to occupy four exhibit halls with a focus on automation systems, the internet of things, AGVs, sustainable packaging strategies, green logistics, resource- and energy-efficient technologies, adaptable systems, and shuttle systems. Demographic changes and ergonomic workstations also became increasingly prominent. Strong demand from 2012 forward led to the addition of another exhibit hall nearly every year. In 2014, intralogistics finally became the defining benchmark for efficient e-commerce, which in turn became a driver for enterprise workflows and the cutting-edge intralogistics solutions on display in Stuttgart. With 32,800 visitors in 2014, LogiMAT established itself as a key bellwether for intralogistics trends.
Fills all the exhibit halls
In the years 2015–2019, the key trends identified in previous years were already on full display in the featured systems and solutions. AGVs, shuttle systems, and robots were everywhere, and the forums were dominated by industrial automation, the internet of things, and e-commerce. In 2016, LogiMAT occupied all exhibit halls available at the time, and just three years later, it filled all ten halls in the newly expanded Messe Stuttgart convention center. The year 2020 saw the start of a global health crisis, with the pandemic making an on-site event impossible. Event organizer EUROEXPO seized the opportunity to offer an online program on its own dedicated platform.
LogiMAT was reawakened in 2022, once again filling all ten exhibit halls at Messe Stuttgart. The integration of modern technologies such as robotics, smart sensors, and artificial intelligence grew exponentially in the years that followed. Exhibitors are presenting more and more innovations in the form of powerful autonomous robots, drones, cutting-edge forklifts, and AGVs with energy-efficient drive and storage modules. Automated warehouse systems have become scalable, and smart cloud-based solutions offer warehouse management, data analytics, and systems management capabilities. Other themes include IT network security and supply chain resilience.
LogiMAT closed its doors in 2024 and 2025 with an uptick in visitors, exhibitors, floor space, and new product premieres – plus a growing international contingent of about 35% among exhibitors and 30% among visitors. LogiMAT 2026 set a new high-water mark across the entire spectrum of performance indicators. “LogiMAT’s 25-year celebrations in Stuttgart represent 25 chapters for an industry that is always evolving,” concludes Exhibition Director Michael Ruchty. “That’s why this anniversary is about more than looking back. Together with our exhibitors, partners, and attendees, we intend to continue focusing on themes that are key to efficient, sustainable intralogistics. Stuttgart remains our home and a trusted partner.”
