The official announcement on May 26th that the eroFame 2020 will not take place in October as planned cannot come as a surprise in view of the circumstances caused by the Corona crisis. But how does the trade fair continue? Wieland Hofmeister, Managing Director of Mediatainment Productions GmbH, has the answers to these and other questions.
eroFame 2020 will not take place. When was the final decision made and how should it be justified?
Wieland Hofmeister: Due to the current Corona-related situation, the trade fair advisory board and we as the organizers decided in the penultimate week of May not to host eroFame 2020 in October this year under certain circumstances. A really very, very difficult decision, not only because we had to recognize that the economic situation around the world was in dire straits, but also because we can assess the current market situation in our industry. We all have a tough time. Ultimately, of course, it is primarily important not to endanger the health of all participants, and planning for trips, overnight stays and the trade fair are currently confusing and risky.
At the time of this interview, restrictions that were imposed in the wake of the corona pandemic are being relaxed or even lifted in many European countries. The concept of eroFame would still not have been feasible in October – with necessary changes?
Wieland Hofmeister: From today’s perspective, we do not see any significant improvement or assessment of the circumstances in the next five months. Even if a trade fair like eroFame is approved by the authorities, we consider it inappropriate to organize the event in October with all our might. Nobody knows how the virus will continue to affect until autumn, nobody wants to take responsibility for a risk of infection. The well-being of the people on our eroFame – visitors, exhibitor staff and the crew – is important to us, nothing is risked in this regard.
The eroFame also includes parallel events, be it the parties and culinary events of the exhibitors or the eroFame Oktoberfest – these celebrations would still have to come under strange restrictions among us. Personally, I do not believe that the company will have accepted the new editions by next October to the extent that they are part of everyday life. It is still strange for all of us to visit an exhibition or even a celebration behind a mask with a safe distance from the next. Perhaps we will have to plan this situation in our daily routine for a longer period of time than necessary and therefore given – in the coming autumn we will certainly not be mentally ready. An eroFame in an oppressive mood should not exist.
“The well-being of the people on our eroFame is important to us, nothing is risked in this regard.”
Today, the number of visitors to an eroFame next October cannot be estimated; the exhibitors not only invest a lot of planning time for their presence at the trade fair, but also considerable costs for a proper stand. Employees and travel expenses are to be added – we would not expect our exhibitors to have an eroFame with few trade visitors from an economic point of view alone – from today’s point of view this is unfortunately to be feared. Nobody knows about the regulations of the individual countries in autumn, which might prohibit or make it very difficult to leave and return. All of this does not fit for a ‘go’ to an international eroFame in October 2020. Other trade fairs in our industry that should have taken place earlier or should have been held this year have already had to be canceled. We would also have found it strange for us if we had not declared our solidarity here.
How will the eroFame continue? Is October 2021 now the goal for the next possible event?
Wieland Hofmeister: If necessary, we have to be prepared for the fact that appropriate guidelines are issued over a longer period of time. The extent to which these can be reconciled with an almost familiar sequence and success of the eroFame will take time. At the moment we firmly assume that the eroFame will open its doors again for our industry from October 6th to 8th, 2021.
Will the Corona crisis shake the relevance of trade fairs in the long term?
Wieland Hofmeister: Trade fairs not only serve to present the relevant products – they also offer a platform for personal meetings and discussions. For this reason alone, events like the eroFame will be indispensable. We all look forward to a human get-together among our industry participants and partners. I firmly believe that after surviving this terrible pandemic, everyone is waiting to get going again.
