Events and pandemic, VeronaFiere postpones Fieragricola to March (and Vinitaly is confirmed in April

The growth in contagions, the difficulties still encountered in travel and transfers, management of the pandemic, fear, common sense and the need for a strong international presence are once again upsetting the calendar of major wine & food events. VeronaFiere has recently decided to postpone Fieragricola, edition n. 115, initially scheduled on January 26-29, to March 2-5, 2022. On the other hand, there is no discussion of Vinitaly 2022, confirmed in Verona on April 10-13 (within 4 months, a very long period in these times of pandemic, while rumors see a strong risk in the organization of Vinexpo Wine Paris, currently scheduled in just over a month, on February 14-16 in Paris, while ProWein in Dusseldorf, scheduled on March 27-29, when the peak of the fourth wave, according to experts expected between the end of January and early February, should be reasonably far away, seems more protected from possible shifts).
It should be underlined that, in the case of VeronaFiere (which will also move forward Progetto Fuoco, initially scheduled on February 26-29), the decision to postpone some events, in particular, those of a “business to business” nature, i.e. dedicated to business, is due to the desire to “guarantee the international quality of events”, given that events of a more “national” and consumer-oriented nature, such as the “Moto Bike Expo” scheduled for January 13-16, will be regularly staged “in accordance with the rules and protocols in force and in compliance with them”.
This decision was taken “in agreement with the production chains and in line with the choices also adopted by the other main European exhibition organizers in the face of the increase in contagions at global level”, states a note by VeronaFiere, which adds: “the variations in the VeronaFiere winter calendar have been shared with trade associations and exhibitors and concern business-to-business shows of international level. The objective of the postponements, in fact, is to guarantee an adequate presence from abroad of companies and specialized operators that today would otherwise be unable to participate due to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic situation. Thanks to prevention protocols validated by the Cts and continuously updated, and in compliance with the provisions of the “Protocol Covid 19” of the trade association Aefi (Association of Italian Exhibitions and Fairs), VeronaFiere has resumed its activities in the presence and maximum safety as from June 2021, with the special edition of “Moto Bike Expo”. The only way to enter the exhibition center is with a super green pass: a system that has also proved its validity at consumer shows with large audiences, such as the last edition of Fieracavalli”.
Veronafiere has also recently taken the same path as Bologna Fiere for “Marca”, the exhibition dedicated to distributor brands, scheduled for January 19 and 20. New dates will soon be announced, according to a note issued by BolognaFiere, but the decision, in this case too, was made with the aim of ensuring attendance by Italian and international buyers in line with the event’s standards, and was taken in agreement with Adm - Associazione Distribuzione Moderna, “also after extensive discussion with exhibitors and operators, deemed it appropriate to postpone the leading national event for the Mdd sector to spring. The more than 900 companies that have signed up for this event (edition no. 18) will, in this way, be able to count on a context in which, following the rapid progress of the vaccination campaigns, the current situation of uncertainty will be overcome and international connections will also be re-established”.
And, moreover, this is the trend being followed by all the most important Italian exhibition players, as explained by Maurizio Danese, president of Aefi - Association of Italian Exhibitions and Fairs (and VeronaFiere): “as Aefi we met yesterday with the Board of Directors and took stock of the situation. It emerged that, in a responsible manner in view of the situation, a little of all exhibitions are moving events scheduled in January and partly also in February to the following months. Our trade fairs, however, are held in conditions of maximum security”, explained President Danese, who said that “there was no particular difficulty in moving the events to the following months, there was no problem of overlapping with other events. There may be difficulties for exhibitors who may not be interested in participating in an event in the following months, when the product market has already been set up”, concludes Danese.