Interpack 2021 is the latest food and beverage trade show to be cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
It's evident that exhibitors are still inclined to shy away from a physical presence at trade shows. For instance, when the organisers of the International Trade Fair for Processing & Packaging, February 25-March 3, 2021, aka Interpack, canvassed opinion from their prospective exhibitors, the response left them no option but to cancel the show. It's a massive blow for them as the next event will only take place in May 2023. In addition, all other trade fairs scheduled across a number of industry sectors at the venue in Düsseldorf have been cancelled until April 2021 due to the pandemic.
According to this article by Karen Langhauser, head of Pharma Manufacturing, When can international trade shows resume? "Global revenues for trade shows and exhibition organizers fell by two-thirds in the first half of 2020, according to UFI, the global association of the exhibition industry. Looking at 2020 as a whole, UFI predicted that revenues will represent only 39 percent of those of 2019. But with several promising vaccines entering final stages of approval from global regulatory agencies, many are hopeful that pharma industry events can safely resume in-person by the second half of 2021." Pharma Manufacturing is a sister brand to Food Processing and shares a lot of overlap in the quality, safety, and packaging industry.
As we've reported previously, many trade shows have gone the virtual route but we believe there's no long-term substitute for face-to-face meetings between producers and buyers. If you'd like to talk turkey about food & beverage issues this December, contact Ted Horton and he'll dish up some tasty tidbits.