Interpack organizers still believe the event may take place physically at the Düsseldorf fairgrounds on the seven days from 25 February to 3 March 2021. Their optimism is mainly based on the fact that Düsseldorf could host the Caravan Salon in September, despite the Covid-19 pandemic crisis and its constraints on travel and mass gatherings. Caravan Salon is a major annual consumer event attended by 107,000 visitors. However, it is a German exhibition, almost exclusively limited to visitors from Germany and surrounding EU member states.
Interpack is an entirely different story. For a large part, Interpack’s viability depends on exhibitors and visitors who have to be flown in from as far as Asia. At the same time, the UK and most of the EU member states have decided on stricter travel restrictions and lockdown measures that are being tightened by the day.
The German government intends to review its virus containment strategy by mid-November. The perspectives are clear: more restrictions will include the closing down of restaurants, cafes, events, and ‘non-essential’ shops. What seems to be clear already is that by February/March, no vaccine nor treatment against the virus will be available, and experts expect that we might face a ‘third wave’ of infections in the first months after the end-of-year vacations. So we are not too optimistic concerning the physical presence of any large international trade fair in this part of the world in the months to come.
