After recently announcing that the Hannover Messe would be postponed until July 2020, the organizers have now announced that the industrial fair will not take place this year, due to the increasingly critical situation of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With comprehensive travel restrictions, bans on group gatherings, and a prohibition decree in the Hannover region, it’s clear to see that holding the Hannover Messe was near impossible. The manufacturing industry is also being shown as struggling, as demand and sales in Germany decline, resulting in supply bottlenecks, production stops, and reduced working hours for employees.
“Given the dynamic development around Covid-19 and the extensive restrictions on public and economic life, Hannover Messe cannot take place this year,” says Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Board of Management, Deutsche Messe AG. “Our exhibitors, partners, and our entire team did everything they could to make it happen, but today we have to accept that in 2020 it will not be possible to host the world’s most important industrial event.”
As the first time in 73 years that the Hannover Messe will not take place, organizers are not allowing the event to completely vanish, with plans in place to form a digital information and networking platform that will be available to customers soon.
Various web-based formats will enable Hannover Messe exhibitors and visitors to exchange information and live streams will present interactive expert interviews, panel discussions, and best-case presentations. The online exhibitor and product search is also being enhanced, with a function that enables visitors and exhibitors to contact each other directly.
“We firmly believe that nothing can replace direct, person-to-person contact and we are already looking forward to the time after Corona,” added Dr. Jochen Köckler. “But especially in times of crisis, we must be flexible and act pragmatically. As organizers of the world’s most important industrial trade fair, we want to offer orientation and sustain economic life during the crisis. We are doing that with our new digital offering.”
It’s fair to say that this was not unsurprising news to come from Hannover Messe, with other trade shows also facing the inevitable option to either postpone or cancel; and we look forward to seeing what the digital offering will provide visitors until it can take place again in 2021.