Hanover, Germany - Energy efficiency will be the dominant theme of this year's Hanover Trade Fair, organizers Deutsche Messe AG said on Tuesday.

South Korea is the partner nation of exhibition, which runs from April 20-24, Deutsche Messe board chairman Wolfram von Fritsch said.

The fair, the biggest of its kind in the world, has attracted 6,150 exhibitors this year, well above the 5,100 who attended the 2008 event.

Fritsche said the fair was an important showcase of the latest engineering technology at a time of global economic uncertainty.

In the engineering sector, many exhibitors hoped for an impulse through meeting potential clients and learning about new products, he said.

The trade fair encompasses a total of 13 separate fairs, among them ones dealing with wind power, energy efficiency, plant automation and power transmission.

Nearly half the exhibitors come from outside Germany, mainly from China and Italy, followed by South Korea.

South Korea plans to use Hanover as a springboard to expand its presence on the European market. The main products it will display are cars, plant machinery and robotics.

South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung Soo will open the fair together with German President Horst Koehler. (dpa)