Impressive approval and support for the restart in 2021

Following the announcement of the Corona virus-related postponement of the 11th steinexpo to 14-17 April 2021, the trade fair organiser has given all exhibitors already registered for the trade fair originally planned for August 2020 the opportunity to confirm their participation in 2021 by simply declaring their interest in the postponed event. The positive response to this is simply impressive: Around 85% of the exhibitors immediately jumped at the opportunity and are now preparing their participation in April 2021 in Nieder-Ofleiden. The rest of the exhibitors did not in fact cancel their participation but left the possibility of their participation open at the moment, a decision in many cases also due to the Corona virus. This extremely positive response, which no-one could have expected in advance, is a strong motivating factor for the trade fair team to plan the demonstration exhibition in the spring of 2021.

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The secret has been out long since that steinexpo enjoys great popularity as a practical demonstration exhibition for the raw materials and building materials industry and is therefore also growing steadily. And as large were the groups of people and companies affected by the forced postponement. Merely finding a new date that fits into the processes of the MHI trade fair stone quarry and does not clash with other trade fair schedules at the same time was anything but easy. In retrospect, Messe Friedrichshafen CEO Dr Friedhelm Rese is grateful for the collective strength of the common resolve he felt during this phase: “Almost all partners and also many interested exhibitors agreed that the early decision to postpone the fair was the only sensible solution in view of the Corona virus situation. Once we were able to jointly fix the new date in April 2021, our team could breathe a first big sigh of relief. The interconnected cooperation of all parties involved in this uncertain phase cannot be overestimated.”

Now the trade fair plans need to be reconciled with the mining schedule of the MHI stone quarry, coordinated in terms of time and transferred to the ‘fairground’ to be created by April 2021. “Here, too, we are well on the way to offering visitors an impressive live experience in the coming year,” Dr Rese gratefully points to the fact that this acid test also confirms the resilience of the network of partners.

New additional measures for unusual times

Of course, the safety regulations that need to be implemented for an indefinite period make it logical that the demonstration exhibition in the spring of 2021 will be marked by additional changes. Possible mandatory protective measures related to the Corona virus are planned in advance, although the exact nature of such measures is currently not foreseeable. Basic hygiene rules that range from social distancing to disinfection are all part of planning deliberations to be proactively prepared for all eventualities.

Overall, optimism dominates the prospect of having the 11th steinexpo on the new date in April 2021. The organisers at Geoplan GmbH, the planning team, those operating the stone quarry and, of course, the overwhelmingly loyal steinexpo exhibitors are preparing to make the demo trade fair the highlight of their industry in 2021.