Exhibition World Issue 3 — 2020 | Page 19

Kai Hattendorf I Managing Director cert. It makes a difference n event gathers 20,000 at once for a few hours in space – or if you welcome number of people over of days in a spacious or conference venue. hibition is an organised an industry, we know how onditions where attendees out their business while necessary precautions in Covid-19. erman example shows, s react to these messages – n the door to discussions on n exhibitions. in, if we sit and wait for the s – who are dealing with s of virus-related matters – to s, it will be a long wait. We proactive – and we are! mbers around the world are n setting up arrangements and solutions for reopening. In early May we aggregated many of these into a global framework for the safe and controlled reopening of exhibitions, a framework compiled together with an industry-wide task force of organisers, venues, service providers, and associations, and that is endorsed by the movers and shakers of our industry. While the framework is global, rules and regulations differ from market to market, from country to country. We have, therefore, also complemented this framework with recommendations for concrete measures, by identifying and sharing global good practices. This Guide will have been released by the time you read this. To collect, review, and prepare all this material in such a short time is only possible because we, as an industry, have accepted the challenges that come with Covid-19, and because we at UFI also work closely with our G3 global trade association partners AIPC and ICCA. Our next task will be just as important: to show our customers – exhibitors and visitors alike – that we can put in place what we promise, and provide a safe space to meet and do business. As urgently as we want to open the door to exhibitions, we cannot afford to rush; we must be both precise and meticulous. Connecting people is at the core of what we do: keeping them safe is, and will remain, our first and biggest duty. www.exhibitionworld.co.uk