ProWein Dusseldolf which was scheduled to take place in March has been cancelled over COVID-19, despite earlier media reports saying the fair will go ahead.
The news was announced by Meininger’s German news page amid uncertainties of the infectious disease that has now spread beyond China to countries including Italy, South Korea, Japan and Iran where governments struggled to contain the virus.
ProWine later has confirmed the news today. Its organiser Messe Düsseldorf GmbH is postponing a slew of trade fairs such as wire, Tube, Beauty, Top Hair and Energy Storage Europe in addition to Prowein.
“This decision was not an easy one for all concerned,” says Thomas Geisel, Lord Mayor of the City of Düsseldorf and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Messe Düsseldorf GmbH. “But the postponements at the present time are necessary for Messe Düsseldorf and its customers in view of the increasingly dynamic developments.”
Since the outbreak that originated in China last December, it has now spread to all continents except Antarctica. Over 80,000 people around the world are infected and close to 3,000 are killed, with majority in mainland China.
A few big wine buyers including Aldi, Lidl and Edeka and Rewe decided to skip Prowine this year due to the outbreak, and fears were raised over visitors from Italy where confirmed cases have now amounted to 888 as of February 29.
The fair was scheduled to take place from March 15 to 17 in Düsseldorf, Germany. It claims to be the world’s largest and most important trade fair for the wine and spirits markets, with roughly 6,900 exhibitors from 64 countries expected to attend the 2020 edition in Germany.
A new date will be announced by the orgniser soon.
