The panel speakers were unanimous in identifying that confidence will be won back through heightened communication, partners working closely together and the adoption of clear safety and security rules. Christoph Rauch confirmed that AUMA has made a tremendous achievement in having exhibitions no longer being recognised as mass gatherings and therefore allowing them to take place in a controlled environment. Silvia Bauermeister reiterated that AUMA has been communicating strongly on the importance of trade fairs in the economy and that it is important to show a long term perspective by presenting the economic impact of trade fairs on the entire economy. Emmanuel Pitchelu detailed the extensive efforts of UNIMEV, the association for the French event industry, where efforts have been intensified to obtain full recognition for the industry, networking installed to effectively unite the community and targeted communication campaigns carried out to deliver the message. The fact that the government has reduced VAT to 10% is particularly good news for the service industry.

Advocacy action is being taken at local, regional and national levels. Every country has its own ruling on health, safety and distancing measures but according to Loredana Sarti, the industry must “work together to promote together” and personally sees that “we cannot work without other European associations”. 

What is clear from the discussion is that the exhibition industry plays an important role in the economy and will survive this crisis, coming out even stronger. The application of digital solutions is already the norm and synergies are being created but as Silvia Bauermeister confirmed ”Face-to-face communication cannot be replaced by any digital medium...personal contact cannot be replaced”.  Chris Skeith sees the shift of focus on “Not looking at capacity, but looking at density” when it comes to organising an event, without forgetting that every show is complex and different. Vincent Larquet extended on this by introducing the concept of safe density. It will be the responsibility of all exhibition industry partners to promote both the safety and the added value of participating at an exhibition. As Rick Hoogendoorn summed up, it will be “paramount that we work together safely”.

Cashflow is of course echoed as a main concern throughout the industry. Loredana Sarti explained how the Italian government has provided financial support to employees to preserve their jobs. The trade fair industry has been badly hit but there is hope on July 15th that there will be an official announcement in Italy that exhibitions can open and that the first shows can take place in September. Emmanuel Pitchelu and Chris Skeith confirmed that similar schemes had been installed by their respective governments to support employees in their countries.  Chris Skeith pointed out that over 20% of UK companies could however be seeing downsizing taking place.

Looking at winning back confidence from a socio-economic perspective, Vincent Larquet stated that “What we called the future 10 years ago has to be implemented NOW”. He explained that the expertise of logistics experts will have a key role in turning ephemeral events into circular events and hereby successfully being granted acceptance by civil societies.  The exhibition industry must be committed to this new challenge and show proof of its commitment. It could be that trade fairs become more specialised and more local with emphasis on added value. Logistics experts would be solicited to think about “reinventing your business model by diversifying your business”, to consider strategic partnerships incorporating higher added-value services ranging from eco-design through to locally-based networks for the recovery, recycling and reusability of products and goods.

Early May, we began IELA RELOAD, the association’s recovery programme based on 2 main pillars: weekly regional talks (IELA TALKS) and ten RECOVERY TALKS as empowering resources for navigating through the crisis: