GalaBau 2026: NürnbergMesse Shuttles Run on Biodiesel

<p>Those traveling to GalaBau 2026 in Nuremberg will encounter a small but symbolically significant innovation: the shuttle buses on the exhibition grounds will operate with the alternative fuel HVO100 for the first time. With this move, NürnbergMesse sets a visible sign for more sustainable visitor logistics – and precisely at a trade fair that itself is strongly shaped by the topics of landscape construction and environmental design.</p><h2>Four Buses, One New Fuel</h2><p>Specifically, four shuttle buses will operate with HVO100 – colloquially also called "biodiesel" – during GalaBau 2026 from September 15 to 18. HVO stands for "Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil," i.e., hydrogenated vegetable oil. The fuel is produced from waste and residual materials such as used cooking oil and can be used in many conventional diesel vehicles without requiring technical modifications. This point is precisely what makes HVO100 particularly attractive for fleet operators: existing vehicles and infrastructure can continue to be used while CO₂ and particulate emissions decrease.</p><h2>First Impression of the Exhibition Grounds</h2><p>The shuttle buses perform an important function on the Nuremberg exhibition grounds: they connect central points of call such as the "Messe" subway station and the Mitte entrance with NCC East on the opposite side of the sprawling area. For many visitors, these buses are thus their first concrete point of contact with the exhibition grounds. "For many visitors to our trade fairs, the shuttle buses are the first point of contact with the exhibition grounds. That's why it's important to us to reduce fossil fuel consumption in this area as well with HVO100," explains Dirk Blum, Senior Vice President Finance & Facility of NürnbergMesse Group.</p><h3>Why HVO100 Is Ideal for Trade Fair Operations</h3><p>Exhibition grounds like those of NürnbergMesse are characterized by manageable, recurring routes – ideal conditions for testing alternative fuels. Short, clearly defined routes allow good control over consumption and emissions before a possible expansion to other vehicles in the fleet is considered. NürnbergMesse itself emphasizes that the switch to HVO100 should occur gradually – an indication that the four buses for GalaBau 2026 are to be understood as a first building block of a longer-term strategy, not as an isolated measure.</p><h2>A Small Step with Greater Significance</h2><p>At first glance, the use of four shuttle buses may seem like a manageable measure. But in the context of the entire trade fair industry, the initiative is exemplary of a trend that concerns trade fair organizers across industries: the question of how to make the operation of extensive exhibition areas – including visitor traffic, logistics, and infrastructure – more climate-friendly without having to fundamentally rebuild existing processes. HVO100 offers a pragmatic intermediate step: it significantly reduces emissions compared to fossil diesel but requires neither a new vehicle fleet nor additional fueling infrastructure.</p><p>For GalaBau, the international leading trade fair for garden, landscape, and sports field construction, this development is a particularly good fit in terms of content: exhibitors and industry visitors deal professionally and intensively with topics such as resource conservation, circular economy, and sustainable land management. The fact that the organizer itself leads by example with a concrete, understandable example should generate particular interest with this audience.</p><h2>Outlook</h2><p>Whether the use of HVO100 on the Nuremberg exhibition grounds will be expanded to additional vehicles and trade fairs in the long term remains to be seen. NürnbergMesse itself speaks of a gradual transition – a signal that the four buses for GalaBau 2026 are to be understood as a pilot project. For the trade fair industry as a whole, the example shows that sustainability doesn't always require large investments or complete fleet changes. Sometimes change begins small – right at the entrance gate to the event.</p>