Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) and its co-located events – World Travel Catering & Onboard Services Expo (WTCE) and the Passenger Experience Conference (PEC) – have been postponed in light of the escalation of COVID-19 in Europe. The event was to be held at the Hamburg Messe in Germany from 30 March to 2 April 2020.
“The health and safety of our exhibitors, visitors and staff is our number-one priority,” said Katie Murphy, portfolio director at organiser Reed Exhibitions. “In close coordination with all partners involved, we will promptly announce an alternative date for the events.
“We have been closely monitoring the situation and notices issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO), as well as the German Federal Government and Hamburg local authorities. While it is disappointing to postpone the events, given the ongoing developments related to COVID-19, we believe it is the best course of action for all involved.
“This is not a decision we have taken lightly. We trust that postponing the events will provide the international passenger experience industry the opportunity to achieve their business objectives later in the year and we are working to have confirmed dates as soon as possible. We thank our exhibitors, partners, suppliers and visitors for their support.”
The news follows the cancellation of this year’s Asian Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (ABACE) by organiser NBAA in February 2020. The event was to take place in Shanghai, China, on 16-18 April 2020. The next edition will now be held on 13-15 April 2021.
As of 6 March 2020, EBACE is still to go ahead on 26-28 May 2020, according to a statement posted on the show website dated 4 March 2020. The statement notes the organisers are “in frequent contact with government entities, medical experts, and others” and acting in accordance with their guidance. The event is held at Geneva’s Palexpo Convention Center and Geneva International Airport in Switzerland. An injunction by the Swiss Federal Council has prohibited events with more than 1,000 people from being held until 15 March 2020 – a move that led to the cancellation of this year’s Geneva Motor Show, due to be held on 5-15 March 2020 at Palexpo.
