Dear Koelnmesse Customers and Partners,

Now that additional groups of the sectors involved in trade fairs planned to be held in Cologne in the autumn have reported that they do not intend to take part in trade fairs at this stage of the pandemic, the Koelnmesse Management Board, in close consultation with the Supervisory Board, has decided – in spite of the extensive effort already made to restart trade fairs in the autumn – not to hold events of its own in Cologne through the end of October 2020. gamescom and DMEXCO 2020 will be held in all-digital form.

Unfortunately, however, we did not succeed in easing our customers’ deep-seated doubts, and their attitude understandable at the moment. We are well aware of what this serious decision means, for us as a company and for Cologne as a business location. All of us, working together here in Cologne, did our best to make the re-start a reality. Without adequate levels of participation by exhibitors and visitors, however, this is impossible.

We take seriously the difficult situation of our customers – and their concern for the health of their employees. However, we remain firmly convinced that, if all parties involved behave prudently, trade fairs can be held safely and successfully under new circumstances and subject to appropriate conditions. As event professionals, we see ourselves in a position to create framework conditions suitable to trade fairs, even in times such as these:

Trade fairs with a B2B orientation are fundamentally different to sporting events and funfairs. With trade fairs, the focus is on personal conversations and business contacts.

We are convinced that our trade fairs offer exhibitors and visitors ideal platforms for accelerating their return to business and for a rapid success after the crisis.

We see even now extensive travel facilitation by autumn, at least for Europe, as the basis for appropriate participation. We assume that more countries will follow suit until the start of our trade fairs. The resumption of air traffic will also contribute to this.

We are also convinced that the participants of our trade fairs are aware of their responsibility and will stick to the safety regulations and precautionary measures.

In Cologne, hotels, restaurants, transport companies and retailers have been familiar with the special features of the trade fair business for many years and prepare carefully for the return of their guests and customers.

As central business platforms, trade fairs offer an indispensable way to quickly and sustainably return the economy to the greatest possible normalcy.

Production, logistics, sales and communication will change, networking of the players, reactivation of economic relationships and the establishment of new business will be more important than ever before. It is essential for all market participants to actively prepare for this now.

Even in these times of the coronavirus pandemic, we have a safe and promising trade fair venue to offer our customers. With this in mind, in compliance with the terms of the Coronavirus Protection Ordinance of the German State of North Rhine-Westphalia and in close coordination with the authorities in Cologne, we have drawn up measures for our trade fairs in Cologne that will seamlessly intermesh and govern the way we interact at the trade fair. Our goal is to provide the highest and most professional level of safety while creating an environment, in which our customers’ business can grow again. We firmly believe that, with this comprehensive catalogue of measures in place, we will be in a position to organise trade fairs in Cologne once again, beginning in November 2020.

Get a picture of our measures, which we have summarized under the keyword #B-SAFE4business .

We have an obligation to our customers and their sectors to offer them favourable prospects once again. The Koelnmesse event teams look forward to welcoming you to the trade fair grounds in Cologne.