Two major European rental expos cancelled over Covid
LONDON, February 24, 2021
The 2021 edition of two of Europe's major exhibitions - Apex (the world’s largest exhibition dedicated to all types of access equipment designed for safe and productive working at height) and International Rental Exhibition (IRE), a dedicated show for the global rental industry - have been cancelled due to the ongoing impact of Covid-19 pandemic.
The event organisers, BV Industrial Promotions International (IPI) and KHL Group, said the decision was taken after consultation with authorities in the Netherlands and the MECC venue in Maastricht, as well as after informal discussions with exhibitors.
Both shows were originally scheduled for summer 2020, before being delayed to September last year and then June 15-17, 2021. The IRE, hosted alongside the Apex, will now be held in 2023 at Maastricht in The Netherlands.
The European Rental Association (ERA) convention, which was due to take place on June 16 and 17 alongside IRE and Apex, will still be held either as an online or hybrid conference, said the organisers.
The European Rental Awards, jointly organised by KHL and ERA, will be held on June 16 and in the same format as the ERA convention.
Tony Kenter, Managing Director of IPI, said: "It is of course with enormous regret that we take this decision. We are pleased to see the vaccination programmes being implemented around the world, but given the current lockdowns, and with no guarantees on when travel and event restrictions will be lifted, we were left with little choice but to cancel."
"We thank all the APEX and IRE exhibitors and our association partners ERA and IPAF for their cooperation and patience over the past year," stated Kenter.
"We now look forward positively to an improving economic situation in the coming months and years, and in confidence that APEX and IRE will return successfully in 2023," he added.
KHL Chief Executive James King said: "Taking the decision now, well in advance of the June dates, will give exhibitors and visitors certainty in their planning. No exhibition organiser wants to cancel a show, but it is the right thing to do. We will come back with strong APEX and IRE events in 2023."
The ERA will communicate further regarding the format of its annual convention in June and of the European Rental Awards, which is jointly organised with International Rental News. The Convention and the rental awards will still go ahead, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
