IBC 2021 has been moved from September to December. After a period of industry consultation, the show’s board took the decision to move the show to the “fall back dates” of December 3-6 first announced earlier this year.
“Exhibitor and visitor feedback shows a keen desire for a live show in 2021,” explained an official announcement. “Only one in ten of the visitors surveyed said they would not attend a December event. We did not shift from September lightly. However, as the evidence was gathered and considered, there was a shifting sentiment towards December from both exhibitors and visitors.”
The organisers are confident that many more people will have been vaccinated by December, and believe that key services such as airports, airlines and hotels will have established smooth operations and be able to provide a more streamlined service.
CEO Mike Crimp said the event’s organisers feel the “best opportunity” for the show would be the move to the end of the year.
“There’s a really strong desire for us to deliver a show in Amsterdam,” he added. “December offers us the opportunity to implement the best safety protocols. September would have been tight in what we needed to achieve. Having more time to concentrate on the marketplace and what the market wants was more important than being the first major trade show to take place.”
