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Shanghai shows how it ’ s done t the beginning of February 2020 , when the government in China declared Force Majeure for various industries , Shanghai New International Expo Centre ( SNIEC ) had to close , like all other major venues . It was not allowed to dismiss any employees , however . European-style or US short-time work or paid furloughs are not common so SNIEC had to set up operational plans for its staff involving maintenance work or training .
“ At the same time ,” says general manager Michael Kruppe , “ we started lobbying the government and related authorities about the design safety protocols . It was successful and the government allowed us to open our gates at the end of June 2020 .
“ Since then , 86 expos and shows have taken place in SNIEC , with approximately 3.5 million visitors and no problems reported ,” says Kruppe .
One of the decisive measures is the wearing of masks within the tradefair grounds . “ Everyone sticks to it , although there have been a few foreigners who think they do not have to abide by the rules and want to claim their ‘ human rights ’ or freedom to walk the expo floor without wearing a facemask ,” the GM notes . “ The wearing of the masks ,” he adds , “ is one of the most important reasons why we are almost back to normal here in China .”
Before Christmas the pharma show CPhI was successfully held in hybrid form ( see right ) and , in 2021 , the World Mobile Congress WMC / GSMA is due in SNIEC just one week after Chinese New Year .
The SNIEC safety procedures don ’ t
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stop at facemasks and include social distancing , special queuing systems , double temperature checking and face recognition cameras to ensure that only registered people in the green range ( with a maximum temperature of 37.3 ) are admitted .
Cleaning regimes have been doubled and AC filters have all been changed . Sanitising areas are provided at all entrances and exits .
Those registering in advance and able to show a green health code can enter the venue . Walk-in visitors are also welcome , but have to register on site , which can take a little longer .
The green code is also required for anyone who wants to travel in China or to enter a public building or restaurant . If , within the last 14 days , a person has stayed in a risk area , their code changes to yellow or red and then they are not allowed to enter such areas or board a plane , train , etc . The procedure also applies for foreigners .
Kruppe says that tradefairs that have been held in 2020 at the venue have generally shrunk in size about 20-25 % over comparable 2019 figures . This is partly due to the lack of foreigners , but mainly because some Chinese are still cautious . Nevertheless , he says he is satisfied with the result considering the situation in the rest of the world .
Kruppe believes that pre-corona exhibition levels are likely only to be reached by 2023 / 24 . And he doesn ’ t see online events gathering more than 10 % of the overall revenue stream of an in-person exhibition .
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Below : Shanghai New International Expo Centre ( SNIEC ) |
Pharma event panacea
The recent CPhI & P-MEC China 2020 – organised by Informa Markets and CCCMHPIE in conjunction with Shanghai Sinoexpo Informa Markets International Exhibition Co ., Ltd . – attracted just over 40,000 professional pharma visitors to SNIEC , with a further 5,105 international attendees taking part online .
The hybrid event provided a welcome glimpse of how returning international pharma events can fuel a boom for the global industry in 2021 .
With the majority of global pharma events postponed in 2020 , there was huge interest in exhibiting , learning and connecting at a large event providing Covid-secure standards . In all , 2,958 companies from the pharma supply chain attended – including Pfizer , Sanofi , Capsugel , Dupont , Merck , BASF and Fosun Pharma .
CPhI & P-MEC China hosted 80 professional conferences , innovation galleries and tours , and even factory visits .
For international online attendees , the event teamed up with PharmaSources . com to launch the Virtual Expo Connect ( VEC ), which ran for a full month in December and connected pharma in China with overseas customers .
“ It was a tremendously successful event for pharma and an encouraging piece of news to start the year with ,” commented Laura Murina , brand manager , Informa .
CPhI & P-MEC China 2021 will return to SNIEC ( 16- 18 December 2021 ) with a comprehensive online and offline offering .
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