PPMA Show 2020 postponed
Further to the PPMA’s detailed conversations with the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), and in the interests of health and safety for all concerned, this year’s PPMA Show has been postponed until 2021.
The UK government has not yet relaxed restrictions regarding mass gatherings, nor has it published any guidelines for staging large scale events such as PPMA when the restrictions are lifted. The PPMA said they felt the risk of hosting this year’s event “was too great”.
After making the announcement, Richard Little, PPMA’s show director, said: “It’s the first time that we will not be staging our flagship event since the show’s inception in 1988, which is really disappointing.
“While we are pleased that the Covid-19 infection rate currently appears to be declining in the UK, the future trend is by no means certain and the risk remains. There are too many unknown variables to consider and our utmost priority is of course to ensure the safety of all those involved with our show.
“We also had to consider that many of our exhibitors and visitors to our shows are categorised by the government as key workers, providing a range of essential engineering and maintenance services to aid the critical supply of food and pharmaceutical goods.
“On behalf of the PPMA, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our exhibitors, suppliers, registered visitors, staff members and media partners alike for their continued support during these unprecedented times. We now look forward to PPMA Show 2021,” he added.
PPMA Show 2020 was proving to be another popular industry event, with over three quarters of all exhibition space sold seven months prior to the UK’s lockdown in March. The show was reportedly on course to be one of the largest PPMA shows in 32 years.
In the meantime, the PPMA says its Show 2020 website (www.ppmashow.co.uk) will remain a continual information source for exhibitors and visitors, which will include enhanced media and video content.
The PPMA has also confirmed that PPMA Show 2021 will still be held at the NEC, Birmingham, on 28-30 September.