The FESPA Global Print Expo, Sportswear Pro and the European Sign Expo were all originally due to run from March 24th – 27th in Madrid, but the events were switched to October as a result of concerns over the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

However, FESPA has now said due to continued public health risks and business disruption caused by the pandemic, the event will not take place at all this year, and will move to the RAI Exhibition Centre in Amsterdam and run from March 9th to 12th, 2021.

FESPA chief executive Neil Felton comments: “In March we took the decision to delay FESPA Global Print Expo by six months in the face of the advancing pandemic and its implications for our exhibitors and visitors.

“Since then the development of Covid-19 has been dynamic and unpredictable. While many regions are now gradually emerging from lockdown, at this point in time we cannot be confident that we could match exhibitor and visitor expectations of a FESPA event if we were to go ahead in October this year.”

Felton adds that early March 2021 offers the strongest alternative, saying that this date gives exhibitors and visitors time to recover, as well as allowing the organiser having time to prepare fully for any new operational requirements.

“Feedback from the market indicates that, having faced the considerable commercial challenges of 2020, our community will welcome FESPA Global Print Expo in March 2021 as an important platform for business recovery and forward progress early next year,” Felton says.

This rescheduled March 2021 event will replace the original 2021 expo, which had been due to run in Munich, Germany. However, FESPA says it will return to Munich in 2022.

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