Drupa 2020 and Interpack 2020 postponed to 2021 as coronavirus outbreak continues

Messe Düsseldorf has announced that drupa 2020, which was scheduled for June 16-26 at Dusseldorf, has been postponed to April 20-30, 2021, following the recommendation of the crisis management team of the German Federal Government. As part of the stringent move, Messe Düsseldorf has also postponed Interpack 2020, scheduled for May 7-13 at the same venue, to February 25 to March 2, 2021. Based on the recommendation and recent significant increase in the number of people infected with the new coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV-2) across the world, including Europe, Messe Düsseldorf has reassessed the situation. In addition, there is the general ruling issued by the city of Düsseldorf on March 11, in which major events with more than 1,000 participants present at the same time are generally prohibited.

Werner M Dornscheidt, Chairman of the Board of Management of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH, emphasised that the decision was taken in close consultation with their advisory boards and sponsoring associations. He added that it also reflected the wishes of individual industries. The city of Düsseldorf is following the instructions of the state government. Thomas Geisel, Lord Mayor of the state capital of Düsseldorf and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Düsseldorf trade fair company, appealed that their aim is to slow down the spread of the coronavirus so that the health system can continue to function properly. Delaying the spread of the virus as far as possible is also a declared goal according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). In order to fulfil Messe Düsseldorf’s responsibility for risk prevention, the institute primarily had to minimise the increased risk of infection at major events.