Messe München and the drinktec advisory board have taken a joint decision to postpone the world’s leading trade fair for the beverage and liquid food industry until the fall of 2022. The new dates are September 12 to 16, 2022. This action was prompted by the international nature of the drinktec event. The decision could not be delayed given that industrial goods trade fairs involve extensive planning and complex high-tech construction work.
Despite the coronavirus crisis, drinktec is registering high demand for floorspace from customers both in Germany and abroad. Three quarters of the available exhibition floorspace has already been booked. “This confidence in the brand and drinktec’s reputation as the world’s leading trade fair in its field are precisely why we need to ensure that we meet our customers’ expectations,” says Dr. Reinhard Pfeiffer, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Messe München. “Until recently, we assumed that the pandemic situation would improve, making international travel possible. The latest developments have quashed these expectations. Two thirds of all drinktec visitors come from abroad. Of these, half come from other continents. This means we cannot deliver the benefits of a leading global trade fair this year.”
The global beverage industry meets in Munich only once every four years. “Companies synchronize their innovative developments in line with this cycle, which is why we had to find timely dates in the trade fair calendar. Canceling altogether and leaving an eight-year gap in between trade fairs would have been unacceptable for the industry,” explains Dr. Pfeiffer.
Volker Kronseder, Chairman of the drinktec advisory board, welcomes the trade fair’s proactive approach as many exhibitors, especially those with large-scale exhibits, would have to start preparing for the trade fair now: “We are very glad to see that Messe München is acting on the unanimous wishes of the panel of experts. The earlier we take this decision, the lower the costs and the greater the planning security for customers. We expect conditions to be much improved and more stable in 2022.”
drinktec’s conceptual sponsor, the VDMA (German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association), also supports the decision. Richard Clemens, Managing Director of the VDMA’s Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association, says: “The beverage industry has been hit hard by the coronavirus and needs fresh impetus, which a drinktec weakened by travel restrictions couldn’t provide. The market can expect an impressive drinktec 2022 that will give the entire industry the stimulus it needs.”
Preparations and plans currently underway for drinktec 2021 will now be seamlessly transferred to the new 2022 dates.