Citing concerns over the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) spread, organisers of the most important international platform and hot spot for industrial transformation, Hannover Messe (https://www.hannovermesse.de/en/), have announced new dates for the event.
Hannover Messe 2020, originally billed to hold on April 20-24, will now take place on July 13 – 17 on the expansive Hannover Fairgrounds, in Hannover, Germany.
Announcing the new dates in a statement on its website, Deutsche Messe which organises the event, renowned to be the platform for showcasing excellent innovations or unusual products, said it made the decision to postpone Hannover Messe 2020 to July 2020 “in close cooperation with the Hannover Region Health Authority, the Hannover Messe Exhibitors’ Council and the partner associations VDMA (German Engineering Federation) and ZVEI (German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association).”
Deutsche Messe stated that “the Hannover Region Health Authority had strongly recommended that Deutsche Messe follows the advice of the Robert Koch Institute, which includes comprehensive measures to safeguard health when hosting major events.”
Among such measures include “fever measuring stations at all entrances and not allowing people from risk areas or those who have had contact with people from risk areas to enter the exhibition centre,” the statement explained.
“This would have entailed a comprehensive evaluation of all trade fair participants – from exhibitors and visitors to service providers, exhibit builders and catering companies.
“Deutsche Messe is unable to implement the proposed measures. In addition, their implementation would impair the staging of the event to such an extent that the event would not fulfil its purpose or would do so only with considerable restrictions for exhibitors and visitors,” the statement added.
“With the July date, we offer our exhibitors the earliest possible time slot to present their innovations to a global audience and to initiate business,” says Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Deutsche Messe AG. “In view of the global economic challenges triggered by the Coronavirus in the first half of the year, the new date offers great opportunities. Thus the world’s most important industrial trade fair can provide important impetus for the global economy at an early stage.”
“The VDMA supports the decision of Deutsche Messe AG. In regards to the current challenges caused by the Coronavirus, postponing Hannover Messe until July is the best possible option,” says VDMA Chief Executive Thilo Brodtmann. “We assume that the situation will calm down in the coming months and that the mechanical engineering industry will then benefit from a reviving business situation.” “Today’s decision by Deutsche Messe AG to postpone Hannover Messe comes at the right time,” emphasises Wolfgang Weber, Chairman of the ZVEI Management Board. “As an internationally important industrial trade show, its USP is the gathering of people from all over the world. This can only happen if there are no health risks. Furthermore, it is important for the electrical industry to present its products for Industry 4.0, electrification and greater energy efficiency to the public this summer.”