The METAV has had to be postponed from March 2020 to March 2021 due to the corona pandemic. It will now take place from 23 to 26 March in Halls 5, 6 and 7a.
“Following the success of the Caravan Salon in Düsseldorf with its sensible and effective hygiene rules — compliments to our fellow organisers there! — we are more than confident that we, too, will be able to make a resounding success of Metav 2020 reloaded,” says Dr. Wilfried Schäfer, Executive Director of the Metav organiser VDW (German Machine Tool Builders’ Association) in Frankfurt am Main.
“The halls are fully booked because Metav 2020 reloaded represents the first major machining trade fair in Germany for over a year. The exhibitors are eagerly awaiting this opportunity to reconnect in person with their customers,” Schäfer continues. The fact that Metav 2020 reloaded is mainly aimed at the German market considerably raises the event’s prospects of success. “90 % of the visitors at the last event were from Germany,” says Schäfer. “As we saw with the Caravan Salon, visitors will be able to plan with confidence and can accurately assess the situation in Düsseldorf — and they won’t have to worry about international travel warnings.”
More than 400 Metav 2020 exhibitors from 25 countries have remained loyal to the event and have already decided to attend in 2021. They will, however, have to make use of different halls at the Düsseldorf exhibition centre to the ones originally planned. “The great advantage of this is that we can now completely restructure the fair to ensure that our hygiene and infection protection system meets all the official requirements,” says Martin Göbel, Head of Trade Fairs at the VDW. The system is based on the Protection Concept of Messe Düsseldorf, which was successfully tested at the Caravan Salon.
This involves the exclusive sale of online tickets, which avoids waiting times at the counters and any need to handle cash. In addition, visitor numbers will be carefully controlled throughout the event. An upper limit is defined for each day. The halls themselves feature wider aisles and a guiding system similar to that used in road traffic. This will ensure that minimum distances can be maintained. The air in the halls is regularly exchanged, thereby guaranteeing fresh air at all times.
There will also be a large number of other safety stipulations concerning the wearing of face coverings, behaviour in the restaurant, entering and leaving the trade fair, and much else besides. “We are convinced that this system will allow us to offer visitors, exhibitors and employees the best possible protection,” says Göbel.
