Friday, November 26th, 2021
Industry meeting canceled
Green Week in Berlin canceled
Again, the corona pandemic prevents large trade fairs. There will be no major events in the capital until February. The most prominent victim is the Green Week at the beginning of the year. Elsewhere, however, concerns are less.
Green Week 2022 is canceled. Eight weeks before the planned opening, the organizers canceled the agricultural and food fair. In view of the force of the fourth corona wave, there will be no major events in January and February, said Messe Berlin. The fruit trade fair Fruit Logistica is also affected; the international trade fair will be postponed from February to the beginning of April.
Only in September was there a new start for the presence trade fair business after a year and a half of standstill. Now Corona is slowing down organizers and guests again. The consequences go far beyond the directly affected companies, as the exhibition and trade fair committee of the German economy explains. Hotels, restaurants, transport, trade and handicrafts are also losing sales. According to industry studies, the damage runs into the billions.
“Expectations cannot be met”
According to an online edition in 2021, the Green Week should actually open again to visitors for ten days on January 21, 2022. The plan was to open the halls at the Berlin radio tower only to vaccinated and convalescent people (2G). Masks and spacing should be avoided. “The International Green Week thrives on encounters, on trying out, discovering and tasting. Given the given conditions such as masks and distances, the expectations of our visitors to the Green Week cannot be met,” said trade fair project manager Lars Jaeger, explaining the rejection. The Berlin Senate decided on Tuesday to link 2G with a mask requirement.
Several federal states had canceled their trade fair appearances or put them to the test in the past few days. Schleswig-Holstein, for example, justified its withdrawal with numerous rejections by companies and organizations for Schleswig-Holstein-Halle as well as the current development of the corona pandemic.
Other fairs take place
Before Corona, the Green Week regularly attracted around 400,000 visitors – with tens of thousands of food and beverages from all over the world as well as hundreds of animals and plants. The fair at the beginning of the year is considered to be the most important showcase for the agriculture and food industry. Horticulture is also represented. More than 1,800 providers from more than 70 countries were present at the 2020 edition, which was in attendance so far.
The Berlin trade fair year does not begin until March 2022 – with the International Tourism Exchange (ITB). It is planned for March 9th to 13th in a hybrid format with a mixture of face-to-face and online exhibition stands. The next Green Week is now planned for January 20-29, 2023.
Other trade fairs take place in Germany. On Saturday, for example, the Essen Motor Show will start with thousands of visitors under the 3G rule. Among other things, the Heimtextil trade fairs in Frankfurt and PSI in Düsseldorf are planned for January under 2G specifications.