Global trade fair, drupa is the latest event to be postponed, closely following FESPA, Sign and Digital UK and the Digital Sign Expo and International Sign Association Sign Expo – all of which have announced changes to upcoming dates in the last week.

With the co-running Print Show and Sign Show set to take place from September 27th-29th in the NEC Birmingham, organisers are remaining hopeful that the show will be able to go ahead.

Chris Davies, event director of the shows comments: “The Print Show and Sign Show are fully committed to running this year. We’re not until the end of September, so it’s six-and-a-half months until we cross that bridge that others have had to this month.

“We are fully intending to run, we will keep an eye on the scenario, and we will look at what the government is saying, but we’re confident that within six-and-a-half months we will be in a better position.”

Recognising that recent cancellations will have left exhibitors feeling vulnerable and unsure how to proceed with upcoming shows, Davies lists some measures the shows will be taking to minimise the risk.

He says: “For our current exhibitors who have supported us early, with other trade shows cancelling we can understand that there may be concern with any money that has been paid. The Print Show and Sign Show have a philosophy that if you have paid any money and the show was cancelled because it was out of our control with the coronavirus, then all money would be refunded in full.”

Organisers have changed the payment structure to put exhibitors’ minds at ease

In addition to this, organisers have pledged to change the terms and conditions for the payment structure for this year. Rather than paying months in advance, exhibitors won’t be expected to make a full balance payment until the start of September.

“That way we’re limiting the exposure and risk for people worried about the fact that if they’ve got to pay money, they’ve got to get it back,” says Davies, adding: “What we don’t want people to do is to sit on the fence and try to rush in the last three months.

“We fully intend to run but if we can accommodate it and make it less risk for exhibitors, we will do everything we can to do so.”

The Print Show 2019 hosted worldwide, European, UK and Ireland launches for Mimaki through official distributor, Hybrid Services

Cancellations and changes to exhibition dates will mean that some companies who were planning to run product launches won’t have the chance to do so when planned. Appealing directly to firm’s affected in this way, Davies adds: “The Print Show last year did a couple of worldwide and European launches for Mimaki.

“We’ve done it before, we’re more than capable of doing it again this year. As we’re at the NEC, the venue is an international exhibition centre and it holds many international events much bigger than ours. So if we do need to expand, we have the capability to do so and I’ve already had a conversation with the NEC regarding that. We also have travel links with the airport and rail straight to the NEC so we can accommodate if needs be.”

Davies concludes: “What I would say to any exhibitors who have not been able to showcase product launches, get in contact with us and we’ll be more than happy to have a discussion and see whether or not The Print Show and Sign Show are something you could use as a platform.”

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