Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, more events are being postponed from Spring to Fall, according to announcements made by organizers.
One such event is the Global Cold Chain Alliance European Conference, whose organizers have not yet determined the future date for the event.
“In light of the evolving situation surrounding Coronavirus (COVID-19), and at the advice of the GCCA European Advisory Committee, GCCA leadership has made the difficult decision to reschedule the European Cold Chain Conference that was planned for 18-20 March in Rotterdam. The event is not cancelled and will be held at a later date in 2020. We understand this may not be the desired outcome for some, and we too are disappointed to have to reschedule an event which members across Europe and around the world look forward to participating in annually. However, your health and safety are our highest priorities. We have been communicating daily with the Advisory Committee and heard from many of you personally, and this decision was not made lightly,” the organizers said.
“Confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Netherlands where the Conference was to be held, and globally, have increased over the past week and the situation continues to worsen. The expansion of the virus in the region could also impact travel in the coming weeks, possibly preventing attendees from getting to and/or from the event should additional travel restrictions arise. Furthermore, we have heard that customers are requiring more attention as the cold storage industry faces its own business challenges during this time,” GCCA added.
A similar postponement involves Barcelona’s Food Trade Show Alimentaria, which will switch dates to September.
“Fira de Barcelona has decided to postpone the joint Alimentaria and Hostelco trade shows, initially scheduled from 20th to 23rd April at the Gran Via venue, until September. Given the current international situation, this measure has been adopted with the purpose of guaranteeing a successful trade shows for all exhibitors and visitors from numerous countries around the world. Given the unease within the sector due to the international context, Alimentaria’s organizing committee and Hostelco’s organization have deemed it appropriate to postpone the trade shows until 14th to 17th September, thus ensuring the holding of a successful event with optimal commercial and networking prospects and a high attendance of international visitors and buyers,” a press release shows.
Constantí Serrallonga, Fira de Barcelona’s general manager, explained that “although the hired space is practically full, we’ve reached this decision following an in-depth assessment of the situation and after listening to the sector, whose support we appreciate, with the aim of guaranteeing the smooth running of such an important international event, after finding suitable alternative dates in our trade fair calendar.”