- Cautious: The state government’s restart decision comes at the right time for Germany as a trade fair centre
- Confidence: Trade fair booking numbers for the autumn program in Nuremberg give reason for optimism at the trade fair company
- Foresight: Rigorous hygiene and admittance concept and more travel freedom make it possible to hold trade fairs and congresses in the autumn
At its press conference today in Munich, the Bavarian state government confirmed its plans to restart trade fairs in Bavaria beginning on 1 September 2021. Bavaria’s Economy Minister Hubert Aiwanger emphasised the importance of trade fairs for the economy: “Trade fairs are not only a shop window to the world, but are also the best economic program and are urgently needed. The restart of the Bavarian trade fair industry can make a crucial contribution to getting over the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic in many sectors”. Especially the many sectors that are directly dependent on trade fairs in Bavaria have long hoped for the restart in September: “The sense of relief can be felt everywhere in Nuremberg – in hotels, restaurants, retail shops! Many businesses have suffered substantially in the last 15 months. That is because trade fairs and congresses are responsible for purchasing power effects equal to one billion euros just in the Nuremberg metropolitan region”, said Nuremberg’s Mayor Marcus König. Peter Ottmann, CEO of the NürnbergMesse Group, had the following to say at the press conference: “The decision of the Bavarian state government to hold out the prospect of restarting trade fairs beginning on 1 September is an important milestone for us, our customers, and all those in the Nuremberg metropolitan region who depend on trade fairs and congresses! We will do everything possible to ensure that trade fairs in Bavaria and Germany are among the very best in the world again.”
The success of trade fairs in the coming autumn will result from growing travel freedom in Europe and the highly effective hygiene concept which the Bavarian trade fair centres have developed in cooperation with the responsible government ministries.
Dr Roland Fleck, CEO NürnbergMesse Group: “On the basis of a coherent hygiene and access concept, we will create a protective atmosphere in Nuremberg, one that allows for the safe interaction of exhibitors and visitors.”
The concept encompasses well ventilated trade fair halls, the 3-G strategy, compliance with distancing, hygiene, mask-wearing and ventilation rules, spacious layouts, virus testing, infection tracing and professional service providers taking care of cleaning and the management of visitor flows. The first test for the new hygiene concept for the Bavarian trade fair industry will be the Trendset trade fair in July.
Economy Minister Hubert Aiwanger: “In the past years, Bavarian trade fair companies have gained a leading position in the worldwide trade fair business, which must be preserved. It is therefore important to give trade fair organisers, exhibitors, and visitors planning certainty for the successful resumption of trade fair operations.”
There are more than 30 good reasons for optimism regarding the trade fair program of NürnbergMesse in the autumn of 2021. The status of registrations for the planned events is good. For example, more than 600 exhibitors have already registered for the packaging technology exhibition FACHPACK, which will be held from 28 to 30 September. There is also great interest in the in-person trade fair for the IT security industry. Exhibitor registrations for the it‑sa, Europe’s biggest IT security trade fair, which will be in Nuremberg from 12 to 14 October 2021, have already reached the level of 2017. The in-person trade fairs will be complemented by a diverse online program in which exhibitors and visitors can make use of match-making tools and engage in networking also outside of the trade fair times. Such online trade fairs include myFACHPACK and it‑sa 365.
