Germany’s much-anticipated jewellery trade fair, Inhorgenta Munich, has been postponed due to heightened COVID-related domestic and travel restrictions following a significant surge in new infections since the opening of the New Year.
The exhibition, which was originally set from 11 to 14 February, has been postponed to 8-11 April and will take place at the Messe München’s exhibition grounds.
“We had many discussions with our exhibitors before making this decision. And we want to ensure more clarity for them, as well as for visitors,” Klaus Dittrich, chairman and CEO, Messe München said.
“Our customers and partners are still very interested in the trade show, the industry network wants to meet. With this new date, we provide a more reliable alternative for this.”
According to Elena Jasper, Inhorgenta exhibition director, the decision was primarily driven by imposed travel restrictions and not necessarily on applied health and safety protocols on the grounds.
“Messe München has repeatedly demonstrated that—thanks to a sophisticated protection and hygiene concept—trade fairs can also be successfully held under pandemic conditions,” Jasper said.
She noted they have conducted successful trade fairs such as the IAA Mobility international event attended by around 400,000 participants last year and the TrendSet trade fair recently (8-10 January).
“Our main concern is to create the best conditions for our customers for successful networking, for inspiration and for business success—and with the new date we are doing just that,” she added.
Inhorgenta Munich is one of the major jewellery, watch and gemstone trade fairs in Europe.
As Jeweller has presviously reported, similar high-profile industry trade shows in Italy and India were either postponed or indefinitely cancelled due to COVID-related restrictions following the surge in new cases triggered by the Omicron variant.
The India International Jewellery Show (IIJS) Signature 2022 has been postponed indefinitely, according to the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC).
Italy’s VicenzaOro, VO Vintage and T. Gold have been moved to 17 to 21 March.
The World Health Organisation has reported an average of around 45,000 new daily cases in Germany since the start of 2022.
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