Light + Building postponed until September
(Germany) – Messe Frankfurt postpones Light + Building amid coronavirus concerns and stand cancellations.
The world’s leading trade fair for lighting and building-services technology will now be held in Frankfurt am Main on September 27 – October 2.
The announcement came quickly after a spate of cancellations, most notably from Signify, which announced it would not take part in this year’s event due to health risks associated with coronavirus.
The organisers have said the unexpected appearance of Covid-19 in Italy demanded a new analysis of the situation in close cooperation with the public-health authorities of the City of Frankfurt. After Germany, the largest groups of exhibitors and visitors come from China and Italy.
A multi-stage health check on guests from China has been called for, the implementation of which would be extremely challenging for Messe Frankfurt. Additionally, more and more travel restrictions are being put into place thus making it difficult for both visitors and exhibitors to attend the fair.
The decision is supported by the cooperation partners of Light + Building, the Electrical Installation Systems and the Light Working Groups of the Central Association of the German Electrical and Electronic Engineering Industry (ZVEI) and the Central Association of German Electricians (ZVEH). The foremost Italian associations also back this decision.
With only two weeks to go before the six-day event was due to take place, many visitors will have already confirmed travel plans for March – many of which will now be non-refundable. The postponement at such a late stage raises the question of how the news will impact attendance figures in September.
