Due to uncertainty stemming from the worsening pandemic situation in Germany, and with associated restrictions expected to cross into the new year, organisers have taken the decision to postpone Heimtextil, the international trade fair for home and contract textiles, until summer 2022 at the earliest
Event co-ordinator Messe Frankfurt says it is working with the industry to determine “Whether and in what form a new offering in the summer of 2022 can be organised to run parallel to the Techtextil/Texprocess trade fair duo (scheduled to be held in June).”
A statement from Messe Frankfurt highlighted the “Exponential increase in the number of infections in a very short period of time and the accompanying multitude of developments and resolutions that are clearly outside the realm of influence of the organiser have led to a significant deterioration in the general conditions and necessary requirements for holding Heimtextil as a major trade fair of international relevance at this early stage.
“These developments include in particular the classification of Germany as a high-risk area and the associated travel warnings, international and intercontinental travel restrictions in India, Japan, the United States and Great Britain, as well as the quarantine obligation and “2G” (only with vaccinated and recovered status) requirements without recognition of the WHO vaccine list in Germany. Equally important are the steadily rising infection figures and the accompanying urgent appeal, including by the Robert Koch Institute, to reduce contacts to a minimum and to cancel all major events.”
Heimtextil traditionally kicks off the spring trade fair season and is the first major international trade fair in Germany directly after Christmas and New Year. It is usual for exhibitors and visitors from over 135 countries to attend. A large number of the exhibiting and visiting companies at Heimtextil are currently reacting to this with travel and trade fair attendance bans out of an obligation of concern towards their employees to protect them from health risks. The global willingness to travel is continuing to fall rapidly.
The planning and staging of the other spring trade fairs Ambiente, Christmasworld, Creativeworld and Paperworld is not affected at this stage. Due to their later dates in the year, at the end of January and mid-February respectively, Messe Frankfurt says these fairs are still planning to take place at the present time. Compared to Heimtextil, which is the most international trade fair at the Frankfurt location, Frankfurt Fashion Week currently has a much lower international profile and from this perspective can therefore still take place. The extremely volatile situation will be continuously reviewed and evaluated in close exchange with the relevant authorities and industry partners.
