At half past eleven sounds in the exhibition hall for the first time, the violin music of the plate. On the short catwalk from the Bridal gown manufacturer MS Moda four Models alternate. A meter-long Catwalk velvet people the specialist can’t offer grape fair “European Bridal Week” this time. Instead, the audience sitting at small tables, with a distance from each other. The Models mouth-nose protection, each suitable for the top of your clothes.
The trade show for Bridal fashion, which toured for three days in Essen, has good chances to remain a rarity in 2020. London and Rome: cancelled. Milan and Barcelona are anxious for dates in the autumn. But especially the “Bridal Week” is the first exhibition held since the outbreak of the Corona-pandemic again in this country. “We feel that the whole industry is looking to eat,” said Oliver Kuhrt, Koelnmesse CEO of the Ruhr area city: International organizer, far away from the fashion industry, looked at, under what conditions, a trade show with more than 1000 visitors, can take place. This includes, for example, that visitors from the well over 100 stands of the “Bridal Week” to run through meter-wide corridors. Only the one who is, for example, in the strictly fenced-in champagne bar, it is allowed to remove his Mouth guard. Shaking hands is prohibited. And for fashion shows such as in the case of MS Moda, the organizers wrote a larger Case than in the previous years: The Models should also be behind the catwalk at a distance while they switched from the glittering A-line on the model mermaid with floral lace and Sleeves.
The protection concept, the exhibition by the authorities approve, gives a taste of, what are the conditions of revival – and to an important sector of the economy: in 2019, the local measure included a total of 9.9 million visitors, it is the exhibition and trade fair Committee of German industry (Auma). All the exhibition halls of this Republic are so large as almost 400 football fields. But: it Needs these palaces in the future?
Since the outbreak of the pandemic in this country already well 160 events have been cancelled or postponed, it is called by the Auma. The industry fears the most serious incision since the post-war period. The Cologne trade fair, announced on Monday evening, the other five for the fall planned measure will not now take place on-site. The exhibiting companies had “decided largely against the participation,” says Koelnmesse. We expect now, with sales and profit – and-loss “in the three-digit million amount”. Also, Messe Essen will lose, as managing Director Kurth, “this year, about 15 million euros of profit”. With the trade fair companies Messe Bauer and caterers, Hotels and Restaurants and the transport industry suffer. Overall, these industries had escaped the notice of the revenue of twelve billion euros, appreciated in the Auma and the Ifo Institute last. The indirect economic factor was attributed by companies to present new products, maintain contacts and orders can take.
The welfare of the industry depends now also on the policy. Since may, the Federal States decide under what conditions they allow to measure. While Bayern and Baden-Württemberg still pondering, are fairs, for example in North Rhine-Westphalia since the end of may again, subject to conditions allowed. Probably the most serious: Per trade show visitors are there to show for a minimum of seven square meters of exhibition space.
This is in specialised fairs such as the “Bridal Week”, of course, easier to comply with than is the case with consumer trade shows such as the Essen Motor Show, to be held in November in spite of the Corona.
The Bridal fashion trade fair organizer in United Fairs in the Netherlands wrote that each participant had to pre-specify when the fair will be entered. Those who wanted to reserve in the short term, a coveted 30-minute Slot for arrival, got Cancel: “This time slot is fully booked,” reported the website. Employees scanned the visitors at the entry and exit. If a participant should positively be Corona tested, can inform the organiser of all the people who were in the hall.
But the measure will return under these circumstances ever again to the level prior to Corona? By contrast, speaks for the time being, that many international corporations allow their employees still not a fair part. Some companies announce that they intend to manage in General with less travel. In the world of fashion, many manufacturers have presented their collections, most recently on the Internet, Catwalks online transfer.
Also for next year, Messe Essen from 25 to 30 per cent expected less business than before the crisis
On the other hand, visitors to a real trade fair can handle, for example, fabrics and personal with business partners in this talk. In addition, the industry relies on the fact that, worldwide, more and more borders open; also, air traffic is at it again.
The Essen trade fair boss Kurth’s not worried by his own admission, that Corona will affect the basic meaning of the measure. But he believes he must also 2021 compromise. “I guess that in the us and Germany, the event volume in the coming year to about 25 to 30 percent reduced,” says Kurth. “It will probably take two to three years, up to the fair will arrive at the record level from before the Corona-crisis.” Assuming that the are loose to stay of the country, the Association Auma in the remaining months of this year, approximately 140 trade fairs in Germany. For the coming year, the merger of nearly 350 planned measure that counts. However, the Auma expects that the number of participants is not reached, in many cases, the usual orders of magnitude. And in the case of United Fairs in the hope that the exhibitors at the next Bridal fair may build more and larger walkways are – ideally with Models without the merkwüdige mask in front of the mouth.