Trade shows and exhibitions that were shut down by the pandemic are now cautiously relaunching in Europe in a dress rehearsal for what show organizers hope will be a broader resumption of fairs next year, the Wall Street Journal reported. But judging by the shows that are beginning to take place, the pandemic has brought about lasting changes to a format that has hardly evolved over decades and organizers are rushing to adapt the shows to ensure their survival in a different form. This year’s shows in Europe, often combining a limited physical event with an online component, are unlikely to be highly profitable. But organizers say they will serve to test what works and what doesn’t ahead of next year, when they expect some economic normalcy to return and some travel restrictions to be lifted, even as the coronavirus continues to loom. “One thing is for certain; there will be hybrid trade shows in the future that will take place in the real world but will also be bolstered by digital media,” said Ernst Kick, chief executive of Spielwarenmesse eG, which organizes an annual toy fair in Nuremberg, Germany. The stakes are high not just for organizers and participants, but for hotels and restaurants across Europe’s cities that have come to depend on fairs for a large share of their business.
