Due to the fast-paced spread of the coronavirus, the world’s leading packaging trade fair “Interpack” (www.interpack.com), which was set to take place from 7-13 May 2020 in Düsseldorf / Germany, has been postponed to next year. The event is usually held every three years, and in 2017 hosted over 2,866 exhibitors as well as 170,000 visitors from 169 countries. The new date of the trade fair is 25 February to 3 March 2021. A spokesperson told Plasteurope.com that the three-year cycle will be maintained, meaning the following Interpack will take place in 2023.

Another event organised by Messe Düsseldorf (www.messe-duesseldorf.com) will be affected by the pandemic – “Drupa” is the largest trade show in the printing technologies industry and has now been rescheduled for 20-30 April 2021. It was originally to be held from 16-26 June 2020.

The decision to cancel the trade fairs in 2020 is in line with the recommendations of the German government’s crisis committee to observe the principles of risk assessment for major events published by Germany’s public health insitute, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI, Berlin; www.rki.de). Measures to minimise the risk of transmission were not practically feasible for the events. The measures include ventilation of the location appropriate for the risk of infection, the exclusion of people from at-risk groups as well as a comprehensive implementation of check-ups at the entrance.