The German trade fair industry suffered significant losses during the corona pandemic. The association now sums it up: at least part of the damage could have been avoided.
The German trade fair industry sees itself slowed down by bureaucracy during the corona pandemic. The industry association Auma summarized what happened during the pandemic as a result of the cancellation of almost 670 trade fairs. November aid, bridging funds and short-time work would have worked and helped to prevent the worst, explained managing director Jörn Holtmeier on Monday. Biting contradictions remained, however.
From the point of view of the association, the restrictions could have been minimized and the aid paid in a more targeted manner. “With an incidence three times as high as in Germany, trade fairs were held in Madrid under tried and tested hygiene concepts, and the exhibition grounds in Amsterdam were exempt from lockdowns. In Paris, London and Dubai, trade fairs have long been possible when lockdowns were still a big issue in this country,” criticized Holtmeier. The special fund for trade fairs set up by the federal government also largely came to nothing.
When the trade fair business restarted in late spring 2022, new obstacles arose. For example, it took the Federal Ministry of Health six months longer than most other countries to have all Corona vaccines recognized by the World Health Organization. As a result, numerous foreign trade fair participants were unable to enter Germany.
As a result, the sales of the exhibition companies are still below the pre-Corona level in the current year. This will probably only be achieved again next year. Last year only 70 percent of the exhibitors (142,000) and 65 percent of the visitors (7.2 million) were back on site. (dpa)