The German federal states will decide in future, as of when exhibitions can be realised, if guidelines for hygiene and personal distance are fulfilled. Government and federal states agreed May 6th 2020 that simultaneously, exhibitions will no longer be regarded as mass events.
Jörn Holtmeier, managing director of AUMA – Association of the German Trade Fair Industry – says: “This is an important step in direction of rebooting the trade fair industry. As exhibitions are platforms for innovation and cooperation, they will stimulate the recovery of the German economy in the short and medium run.” The German exhibition organisers and AUMA, too, are prepared to provide the responsible authorities with expertise and experience concerning the realisation of exhibitions. For this purpose, AUMA has already prepared recommendations that meet the high demands for hygiene and personal distance.
The step-by-step reopening of hotels and restaurants, planned by the federal states, is an important signal for exhibitions, says Jörn Holtmeier. The reopening of borders and the resumption of transnational business traffic, too, are crucial for the success of exhibitions in the second half of the year.
This new could be important considering Chillventa taking place, theoretically in Autumn 2020 in NĂĽrnberg.
The German exhibition market
Twenty-five venues for international or national trade fairs in Germany have a combined hall space of around 2.8 million square metres. Ten sites each have capacities of more than 100,000 square metres, and five additional sites each have more than 50,000 square metres. Hall space is expected to grow only slightly in the coming years. Investments will be made primarily in quality. An additional approximately 370,000 m² of hall space are available at venues for exhibitions with regional focuses.
