It will take years – if ever – for international trade show-related project cargo volumes to recover to pre-Covid levels.
Attendance at many of the iconic shows had already been dropping, while costs for exhibitors had been rising steadily.
Commenting on the cancellation of the 2021 Geneva Motor Show, David Leggett, automotive analyst at GlobalData, said even before the coronavirus crisis forced a late cancellation of this year's Geneva show in March, many carmakers had already concluded that the costs of exhibiting at motor shows was no longer worth bearing and that there were better ways to spend budget and generate buzz around new product.
Organisers of the annual show, Salon International de l’Automobile, announced on June 30 that they had cancelled the 2021 edition, and that the expo was now up for sale.
The Geneva Motor Show was the first major automotive event to be cancelled outside of China earlier this year. Organisers cancelled what would have been the 90th show about two weeks before the World Health Organization officially declared the Covid-19 outbreak a pandemic.
"It increasingly looks like the traditional motor show event format, with its large indoor show halls filled by static displays and big crowds, is looking a little tired. Covid-19 may have hastened their evolution or demise,” says Leggett.
International expos for other sectors have also been affected, with the industry being among the first to close in order to try to stop the spread of Covid-19.
UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, estimates that the exhibitions industry on average generates a total economic output of $26.2 billion (R453 billion) per month globally, translating into more than 270 000 full time jobs.
Demand for event-driven project logistics is expected to come first from the countries which have tailored support programmes for the events sector.
Germany has announced event logistic companies and companies connected to trade shows and events are eligible for funds from a €25B fund set up to assist with Covid-19 related revenue loss.
The Exhibition and Event Association of Australasia (EEAA) is working with the Business Events Council of Australia to determine the best arrangements that can support the business events sector.
The Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) has introduced a “Thailand Extra
Exhibition Plus” scheme for exhibition industry stakeholders to sustain core trade shows in Thailand. There was $US1 million in immediate relief, with a further US$14 million for first phase recovery.
A large number of exhibition centres around the world have been turned into makeshift field hospitals and will not be able to host events until the beds are no longer needed and the exhibition halls and other facilities have been sanitised.