PPMA organisers have announced their flagship show will not be staged this year
The decision follows detailed discussions with the National Exhibition Centre (NEC).
The event is now scheduled to return to the NEC, in Birmingham, between September 28-30 next year.
With the Government not yet having relaxed restrictions regarding mass gatherings, or published any guidelines for when the restrictions are finally lifted, organisers felt the associated risks were too great.
Richard Little, PPMA’s Show Director, said the health and well-being of those involved remained paramount.
“It’s the first time that we will not be staging our flagship event since the show’s inception in 1988, which is really disappointing,” said Little.
“While we are pleased that the COVID-19 infection rate currently appears to be declining in the UK, the future trend is by no means certain and the risk remains. There are too many unknown variables to consider and our utmost priority is of course to ensure the safety of all those involved with our show.
“We also had to consider that many of our exhibitors and visitors to our shows are categorised by the Government as key workers, providing a range of essential engineering and maintenance services to aid the critical supply of food and pharmaceutical goods.
“On behalf of the PPMA, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our exhibitors, suppliers, registered visitors, staff members and media partners alike for their continued support during these unprecedented times. We now look forward to PPMA Show 2021,” he added.
PPMA Show 2020 was proving to be another very popular industry event, with over three quarters of all exhibition space sold seven months prior to the Government lockdown in March. The show was on course to be one of the largest PPMA shows in 32 years, which reinforces its growing popularity and brand strength.
In the meantime, the PPMA Show 2020 website (www.ppmashow.co.uk) will remain a continual information source for exhibitors and visitors, which will include enhanced media and video content.
