Fespa Global 2021 put back to October

The decision to postpone the Fespa 2021 was ratified by the Fespa board at close of play yesterday, following confirmation that all international exhibitions in the RAI calendar have been moved out of Q1 and re-scheduled into Q2 or later, due to uncertainty over Covid-related travel restrictions and visitor quarantine arrangements in The Netherlands.

Fespa has already moved the event from October this year, when it was due to take place in Madrid. The Covid-19 pandemic prompted its postponement until March 2021 and the shift to the RAI in Amsterdam, and the announcement that this would replace the originally scheduled May 2021 event in Munich. 

The newly scheduled 2021 event will take place in the same halls of the RAI as the March show would have, enabling Fespa to transition the current floor plan to the later date. Fespa said the majority of exhibitors will simply transfer their contracts to the alternative dates, and several suppliers whose company policies precluded them from participating in March 2021 have indicated that they would be keen to exhibit at an autumn event.

Fespa CEO Neil Felton, said of the latest development: “Since our exhibitors are now at the point of having to make detailed logistical plans and commit further costs to be at our events, we believe that the right step is to move to our October 2021 contingency dates, enabling us and our participants to plan with greater confidence.

“The decision to push the event back by seven months doesn’t dent our exhibitors’ enthusiasm for a live Fespa exhibition as the engine for business recovery. Nor does it reflect any concerns about delivering a Covid-secure event. Rigorous health and safety protocols are in place with the RAI, and we’re confident of protecting our exhibitors and visitors to the best of our professional ability.”