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drupa postponed until April 2021 due to coronavirus threat

The drupa trade fair scheduled for June 16-26, 2020 has been postponed until April 20-30, 2021.

Held every four years in Dusseldorf, Germany, drupa is the printing industry’s largest trade event.

In a statement, show operator Messe Dusseldorf said it is following the recommendation of the crisis management team of the German federal government “to take into account the principles of the Robert Koch Institute when assessing the risk of major events. Based on this recommendation and the recent significant increase in the number of people infected with the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), including in Europe, Messe Dusseldorf has reassessed the situation.”

In addition, the company said, there is the general ruling issued by the city of Dusseldorf on March 11,  2020, in which major events with more than 1,000 participants present at the same time are generally prohibited.

“The decision was taken in close consultation with our advisory boards and sponsoring associations,” said Werner Dornscheidt, chairman of the board of management of Messe Dusseldorf GmbH. “It also reflects the wishes of individual industries. As their partner, we are currently doing everything in our power to reduce the economic losses suffered by our exhibitors”.

“A postponement of drupa was unavoidable after the latest developments,” drupa president Claus Bolza-Schünemann said. “The decision is therefore right and responsible. Many exhibitors start their logistical preparations middle of March – today’s announcement of the postponement enables all those affected to react now, reschedule and prepare for the event date in April 2021.”

As far as rebooking hotels for the show in April 2021, the Dusseldorf hotel industry is also sending out an important signal through its umbrella organisation DEHOGA (Trade Association for the Hospitality Industry): “We appeal to our members and the entire industry to be flexible when it comes to rebooking by exhibitors and visitors,” DEHOGA said. “The Dusseldorf trade fairs such as drupa play an enormously important role for the city, the hotel industry and the catering trade. It would be counterproductive not to show goodwill in this situation.”