The Covid-19 pandemic is leading to the cancellation of more and more events because of the need for social distancing. In some cases, organizers are planning or exploring alternative formats that take advantage of the more or less sophisticated tools offered by the internet for the presentation of new products, discussions and, in some cases, online orders.
As the dates fixed for these events may place constraints on participants and the supply chain, we feel that this may lead to a re-thinking the trade show format and the development of new digital-only or omni-channel concepts. The Ispo Group has been moving in this direction over the past few years with its numerous all-year-round internet platforms.
For example, the Angling International news service has developed an internet platform, called Tacklestream, to connect the international fishing tackle community now that the Efftex show in Prague and Icast in Orlando, Florida, have been cancelled.
The organizers of the Premium and Seek fashion fairs in Berlin have decided to cancel their summer editions completely, following a ban until the end of August issued by the state on events for more than 1,000 people. As part of the Berlin Fashion Week, they were originally scheduled to run from June 31 through July 2, but were subsequently shifted to the end of July. The Premium Group said it is working with a partner, Joor, that specializes in the digitalization of B2B businesses. It plans to offer webinars and a system for ordering products online.
Meanwhile, Reed Exhibitions has cancelled Fibo China, the regional fitness fair that was going to take place in Shanghai on June 4-6, and while planning to hold the event in the second half of the year, it is upgrading the show’s online platform. This should prove to be a boon for the larger and older International Health, Wellness and Fitness Expo (IWF) in Shanghai, whose seventh edition is still due to be held on July 3 to 5, unless local authorities issue a ban. The IWF was previously planned to take place from Feb. 29 to March 3, but was postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak in China. Thus, if confirmed, the IWF will be co-located at the National Exhibition and Convention Center with Ispo Shanghai, which for the moment scheduled for the same dates.
