With the new subtitle "Made for Trade", IWA is positioning itself as a strategic partner for the trade and sending a clear signal: this is not about show, but about business. The leading trade fair wants to prove once again that it is the central B2B marketplace for the industry. After all, the IWA, which was launched in 1974 as a small trade exhibition for specialist gun dealers and gunsmiths, will be held for the 52nd time next year, now with the self-confident claim "The world’s leading exhibition for the hunting and target sports industry" – and rightly so, as around 30,000 trade visitors from 126 countries and almost 1,100 exhibitors from all over the world were counted in 2025 .
But what exactly can visitors expect in the eight halls from the end of February 2026? In an interview with all4shooters.com, which will continue in the coming weeks, Georg Loichinger, the IWA Public Relations Manager, discusses the most important points.
IWA 2026: more space for the core business, gun halls are growing, Hall 5 is being added
The firearms segment will remain the centerpiece of the IWA in 2026 – and it will be given even more space this year. In addition to the established Halls 1, 2, 3, 3A, 3C, 4 and 4A, the trade fair is also opening Hall 5 for "Hardware". This is the IWA's response to the high demand and emphasises its strategic orientation: clarity of product range and logical use of space instead of random dispersion.
For visitors, this means that those focusing on hunting and spor guns, optics and ammunition, for example, will find a clearly structured hall landscape, as will those interested in other product groups. This saves time and unnecessary travelling through the halls. A tip: It is already worth taking a look at the exhibitor database and the interactive hall plan in order to plan appointments and routes efficiently. As always, you will find all the relevant links below this article.
Does the IWA really have a brand problem? The facts speak a different language
The question comes up every year – and is often exaggerated: are big names missing from the exhibitor database? Yes, the large German-based Blaser Group is once again not to be found in the hall plan, but with one exception (more on this later). And the Beretta Group is also reducing its presence, albeit in order to concentrate on its own anniversary: The oldest arms company in the world is celebrating its 500th anniversary in 2026 with its own corresponding activities. Nevertheless, the list of participating firearms manufacturers reads like an international "Who's Who" of the industry (with over 1,100 exhibitors, of course, without any claim to completeness):
Anschütz, Benelli, Bergara, Brownells, Browning, Carl Walther, Colt, CZ, Derya, Fausti, Feinwerkbau, Frankonia, GLOCK, Haenel, Krieghoff, Laugo Arms, Manfred Alberts (with all products of the Beretta Group), Merkel, Pedersoli, Perazzi, Rizzini, Sako, Savage Arms, Springfield Armory, Steyr, Tanfoglio, Umarex, Weihrauch, Winchester or Zoli.
In addition, there are strong brands of optics, accessories and ammunition: AKAH, CBC Ammunition, Fiocchi, GPO, HIKmicro, Holosun, Hornady, Kahles, Leupold, Nocpix, Pard, Pulsar, RWS, Schmidt & Bender and many more.
Compared to other hunting trade fairs with end consumer access and a mostly regional catchment area, this list shows that the IWA remains significantly more international – and as a leading trade fair it has to be.
IWA 2026: returning companies such as SIG Sauer and Schmeisser are exhibiting again and want to set their own accents
Particularly exciting: SIG Sauer is returning – and with its own booth space in Hall 5. After years of an indirect IWA presence via its German partner German Sport Guns (which continues to exhibit in parallel with its other brands), the originally German-Swiss company, which is particularly successful in the USA, wants to be more visible again in the European B2B context. Daniele Palmieri, Managing Director of Global Commercial Sales at SIG Sauer, explains: "We want to be present at the trade fair with our entire team – together with the complete product portfolio for the European and international market." A detailed story about SIG-Sauer's IWA comeback can be found on the IWA website.
Equally noteworthy, Schmeisser is also back, now in Hall 4A. The German manufacturer of AR rifles and various other platforms is back at the IWA after a break of several years. A comeback that puts the spotlight on domestic engineering expertise, as Schmeisser produces all its guns in its own factory in Krefeld, i.e. "made in Germany".
IWA 2026: what new products can be expected and are there any real premieres in firearms and equipment?
"Hardly anything new at the IWA?" In fact, the number of world premieres in firearms manufacturing that were first presented at the major trade fairs for the general public and only then shown at the IWA has increased in recent years. Many manufacturers also orientate themselves towards the SHOT Show in Las Vegas, which takes place at the end of January, or focus on their own launch events. But for retailers from countries without large consumer trade fairs – such as Eastern Europe – the IWA remains the only platform to see new products live. They therefore have a different motivation for travelling to Nuremberg.
Both sales channels are obviously important for manufacturers of new products: interest is aroused among potential customers and initial information on the technology is provided at hunting fairs with an end consumer audience. But at the IWA, it's all about "B2B business", about the business between the supplier and the specialist retailer as the customer, about coordinating the required delivery quantities and the expected delivery. And the trade fair character is important for the intermediate trade, so the strongly emphasised claim "Made for Trade" is a deliberate sharpening of the IWA profile. Nevertheless, it can be assumed that spectacular new products will once again be presented at the IWA 2026 – especially from well-known foreign suppliers, for example from Asia, who are generally not represented at local trade fairs. Some previously unknown manufacturers also take the opportunity to showcase their products in Nuremberg first.
Of course, the team from all4shooters.com will also be providing you with lots more information about the most important firearms trade fair in Germany over the next few weeks until the IWA opens on 26 February 2026. As in previous years, admission to the trade fair is reserved exclusively for authorised trade visitors (information here). As a media partner of the IWA, we at all4shooters.com will be on site again, as we are every year, to cover the new products at the IWA OutdoorClassics 2026 with lots of videos on all days of the trade fair.
Important details about the IWA OutdoorClassics 2026:
- Date: Thursday, 26 February to Sunday 3 March, 2026
- Venue: NürnbergMesse
- Website IWA OutdoorClassics 2026
- Rules for the admission of trade visitors
- Exhibitor database: filter by segments, brands and innovations
- Interactive hall plan: Optimise routes, synchronise dates
