The global coronavirus outbreak is having an impact on industrial trade shows. As concerns rise over the spread of the virus to Europe and North America, two major international trade shows continue to assess the changing situation.
IFPE and CONEXPO officials said Feb. 10 that plans to stage the March 10-14 show in Las Vegas were continuing as they kept an eye on any changes that might impact attendance from exhibitors or visitors.
“Please know our top priority is focused on the health and safety of all of our show participants, including exhibitors, attendees, vendors, staff, our industry partners and others involved,” said Dana Wuesthoff, AEM vice president of exhibitions and CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2020 show director.
Show officials said they planned to follow all protocols issue by the World Health Organizations and the Centers for Disease Control. “Although the shows are very much international in scope (representing nearly 150 countries), the broad majority of exhibitors and attendees come from North America,” show producers said in a statement.
Officials at Hannover Messe, which will host the world’s largest industrial trade show on April 20-24 in Hannover, Germany, met with its Exhibitor Advisory Committee and deferred for now any decision about the staging of that show.
“We have received no substantial cancellations from exhibitors at the event, which opens its doors on April 20,” Hannover Messe officials said in a statement. “We will be conducting further discussions with the health authorities this week to decide on the kind of measures that need to be implemented at Hannover Messe. “Developments in Europe and the postponement of individual trade fairs in Germany however reveal that the situation can change from day to day,” they added. “In that regard, we will continue to monitor and discuss the situation intensively – with the aim of re-evaluating the situation together with the health authorities and the Exhibitor Advisory Committee in mid-March.”