Gerald Böse knows that many will be looking at him in the coming days. The head of the Cologne trade fair invites you to the ISM, one of the world’s largest trade fairs for the sweets and snacks industry, from Sunday. Cologne will be the center of international attention “as a beacon of the trade fair industry”, Böse predicts – and calculates that if 17,000 to 20,000 trade visitors from half the world streamed into the halls on the Rhine over the four days of the fair, “that would be a huge success in these times “.
Above all, these are numbers that are extremely rare in the exhibition halls of this republic, given the omicron and record high numbers of infections. The “Green Week” agricultural fair in Berlin, which would have taken place these days, was canceled, as was the “Boot” in Düsseldorf. The Nuremberg Toy Fair is to take place purely digitally at the beginning of February. And the organizers have already postponed the Hanover Fair from April to early summer. So is Cologne literally the Gallic village of the trade fair industry? Or rather the stronghold of madness?
In any case, you have to search pretty small to even find another trade fair that defied all the restrictions and quarantines earlier this year. And ends up at the Nordstil in Hamburg, a regional trade fair for interior design and gift items. It was allowed to take place the weekend before last under “2G plus”. The authorities had only agreed a week earlier.
Gerald Böse, on the other hand, relies on 3G in Cologne, as is the norm at work. This means that unvaccinated guests are also allowed to come if they are tested. That’s what North Rhine-Westphalia prescribes for trade fairs – and that’s what Böse thinks is also “within limits” for an international audience. After all, companies from 56 countries have registered for the confectionery fair. And by no means everywhere in the world is the vaccination rate as high as in Germany or even in Spain. In any case, one should not compare a trade fair with leisure events such as concerts or even the carnival.
Trade fair with a difference: Until a few months ago, the large halls in Cologne served primarily as a vaccination center.
(Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd/dpa)
The managing director has invited guests to the 13th floor of the trade fair tower, with the cathedral towering behind him into the gray sky. Cologne made the decision to host the confectionery fair “with great care,” says Böse, naming all sorts of precautions: digital admission tickets with 3G verification. Masks are compulsory unless you’re munching on Belgian chocolates or protein bars. Parallel transmissions to the Internet. Full ventilation and aisles five meters wide. “Twice as wide as before,” calculates Böse. All of this proved its worth last autumn at Anuga, one of the world’s largest food fairs with around 70,000 visitors in Cologne. However, at the time, omicron was only known as a Greek letter, if at all.
In 2021, a good 70 percent of all planned trade fairs in Germany were cancelled
One never makes a decision for or against a trade fair alone, says Böse. “This is always analyzed in detail from industry to industry.” If, as in the case of the IMM furniture fair, which took place in Cologne in mid-January, companies only book around 20 percent of the exhibition space, then the option is canceled. Travelers from Asian countries like China in particular are subject to comparatively strict quarantine rules when they return from a risk area like Germany. “The global willingness to travel is falling enormously at the moment,” Messe Frankfurt recently stated.
On the other hand, about 1,100 exhibitors have agreed to the confectionery fair, says Böse, many from Europe. “We also have a responsibility there.” Cities like Cologne are also in competition with other trade fair locations in the world. And trade fairs have already taken place around much higher incidences, he argues.
As so often during the pandemic, thoughts on health protection and economic arguments collide on this issue. Especially since in this crisis not only municipal trade fair companies are losing millions, registering short-time work and cutting jobs. Rather, every canceled event also means that exhibition stand builders or caterers lose orders, hotels lose overnight guests or transport lose passengers.
In addition, there is the basic function that trade fairs fulfill within the economy: While existing business contacts can often be maintained virtually, physical meetings are good for making new contacts, building trust or presenting innovations.
Last year, 380 trade fairs were actually planned nationwide, as reported by the Exhibition and Trade Fair Committee of German Business (Auma). But only about a quarter of that happened. “There are 390 trade fairs on the calendar in Germany for 2022.” However, the association already counts at least 50 postponements or cancellations: “The trade fair industry does not expect a real recovery before 2024, according to our first surveys.”
According to industry circles, the trend is currently more towards relocation than cancellation. However, from the point of view of some sectors of the economy, it makes little sense to postpone their respective leading trade fairs until the summer, which is usually less complicated due to the pandemic. Then, for example, the many chocolate Easter bunnies in the confectionery industry would have been sold long ago. And presumably already eaten.