Organisers of Germany’s second largest book fair, Leipziger Messe, confirmed that this year's event has been cancelled due to coronavirus fears.
The Leipzig Book Fair was supposed to run 12 to15 March and has been running in various forms for centuries. The venue management team, organisers and city authorities in Leipzig took the decision jointly on 3 March, according to city spokesman Matthias Hasberg. He said it was a preventative measure.
Germany has 188 coronavirus cases confirmed, including one case in Saxony, the state where Leipzig is situated.
The Leipzig Book Fair was set to feature 3,700 events at 500 locations throughout the Messe’s fair grounds and the wider city, and organisers expected 2,500 exhibitors from 51 countries for the 2020 edition.
Several major German tradefairs have now been cancelled or postponed due to the increasing number of coronavirus infections, including the ITB travel fair in Berlin, Pro Wein in Düsseldorf and the International Craft Fair in Munich.
Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH (HMC) has announced the postponement of the food service sector INTERNORGA 2020 exhibition, saying its decision is consistent with the recommendations issued by the Federal Government’s Emergency Task Force to base risk assessments for large gatherings on the guidelines of the Robert Koch Institute, the government's public health centre. HMC added that "numerous exhibitors have already withdrawn their registrations". The postponement also applies to all conferences and accompanying events scheduled in conjunction with INTERNORGA.
"The safety and health of our exhibitors, visitors and employees are our highest priority. We will presumably hold INTERNORGA 2020 in summer instead,” said Bernd Aufderheide, President and CEO, Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH.
Meetings industry show IMEX Frankfurt’s organisers came out, 2 March, with a strong statement insisting the show will go ahead, conditions permitting.
