Hanover Fair to be postponed

The Hanover Fair is postponed to the week of 13 to 17 July 2020. Deutsche Messe AG is thus responding to the global developments surrounding Covid-19, the Coronavirus.

The decision to postpone the event until July 2020 was taken in close cooperation with the Hannover Region Health Authority, the Hannover Messe Exhibitors' Council and the partner associations VDMA (German Engineering Federation) and ZVEI (German Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association).

The Hannover Region Health Authority had strongly advised Deutsche Messe AG to follow the advice of the Robert Koch Institute. These contain comprehensive health protection actions for the organization of major events. These include fever measuring stations at all entrances and the implementation of the action not to admit participants from risk areas and to refuse access to events to participants who have had contact with people from risk areas. This would entail a comprehensive review of all trade fair participants - from exhibitors and visitors to service providers, booth builders and catering companies.

Deutsche Messe does not consider the above actions to be feasible. In addition, their implementation would have the effect of impairing the smooth running of the event to such an extent that the purpose of the event intended by the planned organization could not be achieved, or only with considerable restrictions, either for exhibitors or for visitors.

As the health of exhibitors, visitors, employees and the general public is a top priority for Deutsche Messe AG, the decision was taken in consultation with the exhibitor advisory councils of Hannover Messe to switch to the July date.

"With the July date, we are offering our exhibitors the earliest possible time to present their innovations to a global audience and initiate business," explains Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Deutsche Messe AG. "In view of the global economic challenges triggered by the Coronavirus in the first half of the year, the new date offers considerable opportunities. After all, the world's most important industrial trade fair can provide important impetus for the global economy as early as July. This means that the Hanover Fair is and remains the figurehead of German industry."

"The VDMA supports the decision of Deutsche Messe AG In view of the current difficulties caused by the Coronavirus, we consider it right to postpone Hanover Fair until July," says VDMA Chief Executive Thilo Brodtmann. "We assume that the situation will calm down in the coming months and that the mechanical engineering industry will then benefit from a reviving business situation".

"Today's decision by Deutsche Messe AG to postpone Hanover Fair is right in content and comes at the right time," emphasizes Wolfgang Weber, Chairman of the ZVEI Management Board. "As an internationally important industrial trade show, it thrives in a special way on the encounter of people from all over the world. This can only happen if there are no health risks. It is important for the electrical industry to present its products for Industry 4.0, electrification and greater energy efficiency to the public this summer."