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Messe Berlin is cancelling its FRUIT LOGISTICA SPECIAL EDITION 2021 on 18-20 May 2021 because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic in Europe and the rest of the world.

“I’m quite sure today’s cancellation is no surprise to anyone,” says Madlen Miserius, Senior Product Manager. “The coronavirus pandemic is lasting longer than expected. We wanted to make an onsite event happen in May. But the prospects both for international business travel to Berlin and for large face-to-face gatherings are too low.  And under these circumstances it’s simply impossible for us to meet face-to-face.”

Messe Berlin had worked hard to prepare a special edition of FRUIT LOGISTICA to take place over three days in May. The FRUIT LOGISTICA SPECIAL EDITION was designed to withstand key uncertainties of the pandemic and to safeguard customers in terms of their health and of their investment in the show. And the concept resonated with business: more than 600 companies from Europe and the rest of the world had registered.

“We developed FRUIT LOGISTICA SPECIAL EDITION as we knew through discussions with the industry that the market’s desire for a physical event was very strong. That’s why we developed a concept to offer our exhibitors the greatest flexibility at the smallest possible risk,” says Madlen Miserius, Senior Product Manager.

“Unfortunately, the pandemic still has the upper hand, and this is what has lead to today’s cancellation,” says Miserius. “There is a huge global family of people in the fresh fruit and vegetable business and it comes together every year at FRUIT LOGISTICA. We are already in discussions with international market players and are hard at work to prepare ourselves for FRUIT LOGISTICA 2022. We will do everything to ensure our 30th edition is a vibrant onsite event. So make a date in your diary for FRUIT LOGISTICA in Berlin on 9-11 February 2022.”

Uncertainty among companies due to high infection numbers proved too great

In agreement with its partners in associations and the industry, and with the trade fair advisory committee, Messe Düsseldorf has decided to cancel both interpack and components 2021, scheduled to take place from 25 February to 3 March, due to the restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We have done everything we can to do justice to interpack’s tremendous importance for the processing and packaging industry, even during this pandemic – above all because we have received encouragement from the industry in support of a face-to-face event and have a hygiene concept that has been tried and tested in practice in place to protect everyone involved. Ultimately, however, feedback from our exhibitors has shown that the uncertainty is too great, and we are thus unable to host an interpack event that would meet the standards of a leading international trade fair,” explains Wolfram N. Diener, CEO of Messe Düsseldorf. “On 25 November, the Federal Government and the German states decided to implement stricter measures in Germany, and to possibly even extend these measures into the new year. This, unfortunately, does not give cause for hope that the situation will improve significantly over the course of the coming months. This will affect all Messe Düsseldorf events in the first quarter. We are now focussing on the next edition of interpack, which will take place in May 2023 according to plan, and which we will supplement with extended online offers,” Diener goes on to explain.

Messe Düsseldorf had offered registered exhibitors special conditions for their participation and at the same time granted them an extraordinary right of termination for those companies that were unable or unwilling to take part.

“Besides the unique market coverage, it provides, interpack is primarily characterised by the direct exchange of information between market-leading companies and top decision-makers for brand names around the world. This is exactly what is now largely prevented by continuously high infection numbers in core Europe and the associated and continuing travel restrictions and quarantine regulations. We therefore welcome Messe Düsseldorf’s decision to cancel interpack 2021 and are focussing on interpack 2023,” says Christian Traumann, President of interpack 2021 and Managing Director & Group President at Multivac Sepp Haggenmüller SE & Co. KG.

“For the industry, in-person meetings and live experiences are still extremely important, especially when it comes to complex technology. Both enable a direct market comparison to be drawn and foster new ideas as well as new leads and networks – this is something online formats only offer in part. We are now looking forward to a successful interpack 2023, where the industry can once again come together at its leading global trade fair in Düsseldorf,” analyses Richard Clemens, Managing Director of the VDMA Food Processing and Packaging Machinery Association.

Until the next edition of the leading trade fair, the industry can access continuous updates on industry trends, developments and innovations at www.interpack.de. The online offer for components is available at www.packaging-components.de. Additional online options will be made available for exhibitors and visitors of the upcoming interpack and components 2023.

Over the years, Prognosfruit has become the leading annual meeting point for the European apple and pear sector. Each year the conference gathers around 300 leaders from the apple and pear sector in a different European country in early August. Prognosfruit is an opportunity not to be missed to debate the latest sector developments and be informed on the annual apple and pear crop forecast.

For the first time since the initiation of Prognosfruit in 1976, the organizers of the 2020 edition have had to take the difficult decision to regretfully cancel this year’s conference. Prognosfruit was scheduled to take place later this year in Belgrade (Serbia) from 5-7 August 2020.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has prevented Prognosfruit from being organized this year under normal conditions. So far, there is no indication when the current travel restrictions within the European Union and on the external borders of the European Union will be lifted. Furthermore, at the time of the conference some quarantine rules might still be in place as well as other restrictions on transport and social distancing.

It has been agreed with Serbia Does Apples, the local organizer of conference planned conference in 2020 in Belgrade, that Prognosfruit 2021 will take place in Serbia.

In the meantime and regarding the 2020 forecast, WAPA will release the apple and pear forecast as usual. The modalities of disclosing the 2020 forecast will be announced in July.