The CPhI WorldWide 2021, Milan, Italy

The CPhI WorldWide 2021 event, is set to return to Milan, Italy after a decade, as Italy finally lifts restrictions on live events. In a statement dated the 16th of April 2021, the Italian government has announced the allowing of live events, trade shows and exhibitions in Italy, starting the 1st of July 2021. It may be recalled the 2020 edition of the fair was postponed because of the corona virus induced worldwide pandemic. Since then, there have been hardly any live events, anywhere in the world. Some venues in Europe that typically host smaller shows have started functioning, but, as yet they have been hosting only the smaller shows. Nothing major has taken place as yet. There have also been some shows at venues in China and the Middle East, but then again, the scale of the events has not really matched up to that of the fairs that European fairs are typically known for.

The CPhI WorldWide fair this year has been planned as a hybrid fair, that has both a physical format, as well as a virtual one. In fact, hybrid fairs are pretty much the norm these days, and they look to be the future of the exhibition industry. It should be understood that fairs that are entirely based on a virtual platform, can never really replace a live physical fair. And a fair that is exclusively live and physical, may not be a possibility in the immediate future. So a hybrid fair, combines the best of both worlds, and looks to be a format that is here to stay. At least for a few years, if not more.

Coming back to the fair, Milan is a really apt location for this years edition of the fair, especially in view of the fact that it is coming back at a tough time, and Italy is widely anticipated as one of the major beneficiaries of geo-diverse sourcing strategies. Italy is also Europe's largest producer and exporter of APIs. As per Pharmiweb.com, Italy is well set for growth in 2021, as the pharma industry looks for new manufacturing partners.

As per the official website of the fair, the organizers have spent the last year developing stringent health and safety standards for all their events, and will be implementing the Informa AllSecure measures at the CPhI WorldWide this year. Registrations for the fair, have gone live since May including for the in-person and online events. The online content and networking platform, is slated to go live in October, and it will be possible to meet new suppliers, source innovative products and hear about the latest trends from the pharmaceutical industry, through rich content focused sessions. The in-person event, will go live from the 9th of November 2021 till the 11th of November 2021 in Milan for three intense days of face-to-face meetings, networking, sourcing, learning and exploring business opportunities. 

Good news from Germany

The Covid19 induced pandemic, has created havoc around the world. Whether it be in terms of loss of lives, or in terms of loss of livelihood, the losses are immense, and in quite a few cases irreversible. This is especially true for the exhibitions and events industries, as it is also for the travel, tourism, MICE, and many other related and unrelated industries. There has been a turnaround in some places, as they limp back to normal, but in this very connected and intrinsically wired world, unless everything heals, nothing can be considered normal.

Especially looking at the events and exhibitions industries, we can see some exhibitions taking place in the physical format, but they are mostly the smaller, less significant ones, or they are being organised at the smaller venues. A major turnaround which can witness an important exhibition being organised at a major venue, has as yet seemed pretty much elusive. There have been a lot of announcements, and things have appeared to look up, but then there has eventually been a postponement, a cancellation or in most cases a switch to a virtual platform. Its not as if the governments or the organizers can be blamed for this, but then that is how it really is. 

It is in these very gloomy times, that an announcement from the Bavarian state government, in Germany, comes as a veritable beacon of hope. It turns out that the Bavarian state government is to allow the resumption of exhibition operations in the state from the 1st of September 2021. The first major exhibition that will be organized thereafter will be the European Coatings Show 2021 from the 14th till the 16th of September 2021, by the NurnbergMesse. This will be followed by the Fachpack 2021 show, from the 28th to the 30th of September 2021, again by NurnbergMesse. Both these fairs are very important events for their respective industry segments, and among the largest anywhere in the world.

Welcoming the move by the Bavarian government, which incidentally has been hailed widely as the right step in these very difficult times, the CEO of NurnbergMesse, Peter Ottman has said that not only his own company, but the service providers and partners associated with his company are all very well prepared for this planned restart. If the planned restart goes according to plan, this will prove to be a major push in the right direction for sure. One can only look forward to it with a lot of hope.

Gartex Texprocess India 2021, New Delhi.

The Gartex Texprocess India 2021 show, scheduled to be held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, from the 6th to the 8th of Aug 2021, promises to be one very interesting and exciting show for the garment and textile machinery industry segments. This show will later be replicated in Mumbai also, but the dates for that edition have still not been finalized or announced. 

The most interesting aspect of the Gartex Texprocess India 2021 show, New Delhi edition, is that right from the very beginning it has been planned as a hybrid show. Basically it will be held in Pragati Maidan, the new, revamped trade show venue in New Delhi, in the physical format with exhibitors and attendees both present physically at the venue, and it will be accompanied by a virtual edition as well. That should be a very interesting format. The hybrid shows are probably going to be the new normal, as they do present the best of both the worlds: physical presence and one-on-one interaction for those who prefer it, and virtual attendance for those who would like it that way. One makes it more interactive and fun, the other makes it more viable and economic. And in these strange times of pandemic, the second option even becomes necessary.

Anyhow, without digressing further, the Gartex Texprocess India Show, promises to be a comprehensive trade show for the garment and textile machinery industries, and will target decision makers from these segments who are looking to explore a one-stop selling and sourcing platform that showcases products, services and technologies in these areas. The show in itself, will be segmented into two parts: the embroidery zone, and the garmenting and apparel machinery zone, for a better experience. The show will incorporate, the Digitex show, the Fabrics & Trims show, the Denim show and the India Laundry show. Spread over 10,000sqm. of floor area, with about 150 exhibitors and companies, showcasing nearly 300 brands, the show promises to be an exclusive event that serious decision makers from the relevant industries will find hard to ignore or miss. Especially since this show is co-hosted by Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt. Ltd. and Mex Exhibitions Pvt. Ltd., both names that assure one of quality events and trade shows.

St. Petersburg International Motor Show 2021

The St. Petersburg International Motor Show, is a very interesting one for the Auto sector. It is one of those very few fairs or trade shows that have a history associated with them. The show started in 1992 as the AutoWorld Expo, and has been a regular annual event, organized by the firm FAREXPO, and has been a well represented and attended fair since then. In fact, so much so that it has not only garnered a lot of high praise from industry experts, it has actually played an important role in the development of the automotive market in the city. However, over the past few years, with the automotive industry changing drastically and unrecognizably, the AutoWorld Expo, has evolved into the St. Petersburg International Motor Show, that is now co-organized by FAREXPO and Avtoselkhozmash-Holding OJSC (Moscow). 

A very interesting fact about the fair is that, in spite of the fact that there is very little time left for the fair, the official website of the event, still details the "upcoming" 2019 edition, and only fleetingly mentions the 2021 one. The fair is supposed to have three distinct sections; Cars, Auto components and one unique section called the Autofestival. The Autofestival, is an interesting section that will display retro cars, exclusive tuning of production cars, mototechnics, unique samples of cars from fanclub collections etc. 

Although the information shared by the organizers on their official website, is sketchy at best, the fair still looks very interesting and promising. Especially so, because of the support from the many local industry associations, and because of the fact that it has been a very well attended fair over the last so many years. Plus, it has that Autofestival section, that promises to give it just the required amount of glamour. 

German Trade Shows in March 2021

Due to the Corona Virus pandemic, the fair and trade show calendar world wide is riddled with postponements and cancellations. There are a few bright spots, but they are very few and far between. At least till now. However, since things seem to be looking up, and because we would prefer to be better informed and prepared, we are trying to keep ourselves and everyone around us, abreast of the latest happenings in the exhibition scene. So we decided to restart our postings on the next set of exhibitions that are planned.

Here goes:

1. Interpack, Dusseldorf, scheduled from the 25th of Feb 2021 till the 3rd of March 2021, unfortunately stands cancelled. One of the biggest fairs of its kind, for the packaging industry, probably tried its best to stay afloat, but succumbed for this year to the pandemic. No news, as yet has been shared for new dates. The website only says that the show has been cancelled for this year. Better luck next time!

2. Tire Technology Expo, Hannover, scheduled from the 2nd of March 2021 till the 4th of March 2021 initially, it has been postponed to June. The new schedule of the fair is from the 8th of June till the 10th of June 2021. In its 21st year now, the Tire Technology Expo is Europe's most important tire manufacturing technology exhibition and conference.

3. IAW, Cologne, one of the most important fairs, anywhere in the world, for promotional items, which was initially scheduled for March 2021, has now been postponed to April / May. Concrete dates have not been announced yet, as more discussions and deliberations are underway (as per the organizers). However, once the green signals are received from the authorities, and once this pandemic is under control to the extent that international travel is a reality, the concrete dates will be announced, and hopefully this will be a major physical event.

4. International Dental Show, Cologne, again a very important fair for the dental care industry, this is held once every three years, and this year it was scheduled to be held from the 9th till the 13th of March 2021. However, obviously, now in view of the havoc wreaked by the corona virus, it now stands postponed. New dates have also been announced. The fair will now be held from the 22nd till the 25th of Sept 2021.

5. ITB Berlin, another one of those must-attend fairs, especially for the tours, travel and MICE industry folks, scheduled for the 9th till the 12th of March 2021, is planned to be a virtual event. So you can now attend it for a fraction of the cost, from the luxury of your home. Although, I am not much in favor of virtual events, especially because virtual events mean losses for me and other people associated with the design and fabrication of stalls at exhibitions, but this is one of those fairs where a virtual event might actually be just as good as a physical one. Frankly, nothing can replace a human to human interface, but maybe the carbon footprint that gets reduced by virtual events, balances out the missing human touch to it. Do let me know your thoughts on this. I am genuinely interested in finding out!

6. ECS, Nuremberg, the last of the major events scheduled for March 2021, this one caters to the paints and coatings industry, and is widely respected through out the world. It sees exhibitor participation and visitor attendance from all over the world. Initially scheduled from the 22nd till the 24th of March 2021, it too stands postponed. The new schedule says that it will be held from the 14th till the 16th of Sept 2021. 

We wish all of you a great start to the year, and enough success to more than compensate for the losses, if any, incurred last year. We hope that this will also see the transition from uncertain dates, postponements and cancellations, and virtual events to certainty about trade fair dates and physical events with all the associated enthusiasm!