Exhibition News December 2020 | Page 14

Feature

Putting on a show

Paul Colston takes a global view of some of the first successful examples of exhibitions being staged again , despite the COVID backdrop

To borrow the key theme of November ’ s UFI Global Congress , ‘ resilience ’ has shone through in how leading destinations have battled the challenges of the COVID-19 landscape to come up with new ways of operating in safe surroundings . UFI ’ s marketing award winner this year , KINTEX , has even had its methodology and strategy used as part of the guidelines for venues published by UFI , AIPC and ICCA . The effort to bring our exhibition industry back online began , let us not forget , in China , ironically the place from which the virus first sprang . The Hunan Motor Show , staged on the last day of April 2020 , provided a big fillip and an example of what could be achieved despite necessary restrictions . Regrettably , some countries ( the UK included ) are yet to step back into the exhibition arena and maybe they can take some lessons from these few inspiring examples , which shine as a beacon to the trade fair spirit of ‘ the show must go on ’.

1
1 . USA Super Pet Expo 2020 was postponed twice stateside due to Covid-19 , until Eric Udler , producer at All Show Services , staged the show 28-30 August at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly , Virginia .
Super Pet Expo attracted 129 exhibitors ( 43 % down on floor space ) and the 5,000 attendees represented just a third of the typical attendance , but it was a good , safe restart .
2 . Germany In summer , Germany ’ s national government and 16 states agreed to differentiate between exhibitions and mass gatherings – an important distinction .
September signalled the return of major trade fairs and national industry association , AUMA is predicting 84 exhibitions will be able to take place in Germany before the end of the year . One success was Caravan Salon in Dusseldorf , which rolled its wagons into the Messe in September and attracted 107,000 visitors .
3 . England The London Concours , organised by Thorough Events , went ahead on 19-20 August . The outdoor event was staged at the Honourable Artillery Company ( HAC ) in the City of London and was the UK ’ s first major automotive event to take place since the outbreak of Covid-19 . Thorough Events created an operational plan that included revised hospitality , audience capacity and increased venue space as well as separate morning and afternoon tickets .
4 . Italy Organiser of the 60th Genoa International Boat Show ( the only boat show to take place in Europe during the Covid-19 crisis ), which ran 1-6 October , saw 400 brands from 20 countries represented .
Tickets sold out on multiple days while a one-way system and booked meetings only were key to the event ’ s success .
The event was “ a shining symbol of Italy ’ s sense of social responsibility , determination , conviction and know-how in these complicated times ,” an organiser spokesperson said .
14 — December