The sixteenth season of the WOODTEC fair, which was scheduled to take place at the Brno Exhibition Centre on October 21 to 23, 2020, will not take place this year.
The decision to cancel the fair was taken in agreement between BVV Trade Fairs Brno and the Union of Manufacturers and Importers of Woodworking Machinery and Equipment. The main reason for the cancellation of WOODTEC and its postponing to the next year is the persisting uncertainty in the development of the COVID-19 pandemic and related government measures of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic, which do not allow to organize a trade fair with daily attendance of 3 to 5 thousand visitors.
“WOODTEC is another trade fair victim of the coronavirus. Unfortunately, the current situation and measures in place for holding mass events, including trade fairs, do not make it possible to hold a fair such as WOODTEC in full extent and adequate quality. The space of the fair cannot be divided into required sections without the possibility of interaction between visitors and exhibitors. We are in constant uncertainty and no one can guarantee that the fair will not be cancelled at the last moment before or even during the event. We cannot risk losing our investments in the project, as well as the investments made by the exhibitors in the preparation of the fair. The reputation risk run by BVV Trade Fairs Brno should not be underestimated either,“said CEO Jiří Kuliš concerning the cancellation.
Recent talks held with professional associations and exhibitors confirm that WOODTEC is considered an important marketing tool and they definitely want it to continue. A survey among registered visitors to the fair also confirmed their interest in visiting the fair and their readiness to make investments in new machinery.
“In our opinion, the current conditions for organizers of mass events make the holding of WOODTEC impossible and have a major impact on the success of the event and the effective presentation of our companies, as measured by the number of trade visitors to the fair. However, members of our association are also interested in holding the fair, so we ask to postpone the fair to the autumn next year, regardless of whether events abroad, such as Ligna or Xylexpo, are held or not,” says Radek Talafous, Director of the Union of Manufacturers and Importers of Woodworking Machinery and Equipment.
Due to the disruption of international trade fair calendars due to the pandemic and the postponing of dates, the organisers together with industry associations are now considering the holding of the WOODTEC International Fair for Wood Processing and Furniture Industry in October 2021 and then again in a two-year cycle.
