D/F – After numerous discussions with industry representatives, 656 Editions decided to cancel the first edition of CTCO Germany. According to the French trade show organiser, although many renowned promotional products suppliers have already committed as exhibitors to the new trade fair scheduled for January 11 to 13 in Essen, many market players remain hesitant.
“Under the current conditions, we cannot reach the promise we had made to the market for a first CTCO edition in Germany and we do not want to jeopardize our clients’ investments,” said Pierre Mirlit, Managing Director of 656 Editions. “Of course, we could have held a fair with fewer exhibitors. But we would have risked losing our original promise – to offer a high-performance event that meets the challenges of our customers: doing business in the best possible conditions. We cannot and do not want to take this risk. We want to remain honest, credible and trustworthy towards our customers.”
“Premium Sourcing, which we just organised in Paris in September 2021, achieved the same exhibitor and visitor numbers as before the COVID crisis,” confirmed Anne Sizaret, Sales Director of the Premium Sourcing and CTCO Lyon fairs. The new start of the fair in Germany, on the other hand, seems hesitant. Many framework conditions are still unclear and often differ from federal state to federal state. In addition, the resurgence of the pandemic in Germany is not promising in terms of holding a new event in Germany right at the beginning of the year.
“The promotional products sector has suffered severe economic losses due to the pandemic. Marketing and trade fair investments are being carefully considered at the moment. And for many, the planning security of physical events is still not clearly given in the current context. This is why especially large companies do not participate in trade fairs at all, because they need four to six months lead time for stand planning and organisation. This in turn unsettles many other companies, which then postpone decisions as long as possible,” Mirlit added.
“We now consider it essential to observe how the situation evolves in Germany at the beginning of 2022. We hope that the measures adopted against the resurgence of the epidemic in Europe will be effective. We look forward to offering our trade fair approach and concept to the German market as soon as we will be able to do so, always with the goal in mind to accompany the recovery of the industry, and to offer an event that better meets the expectations of the players in terms of efficiency and return on investment“, comments Thomas Grenot, Sales Director of CTCO Germany.
Photo: Messe Essen
