Platformers’ Days postponed

The organiser of Platformers’ Days, Messe Karlsruhe, has been forced to postpone the trade fair to 2021 due to official coronavirus regulations. The industry event for mobile lifting and powered access equipment was due to take place on 18 and 19 September 2020. It will instead debut at its new home in Karlsruhe on 10 and 11 September 2021. The new coronavirus regulation of the Baden-Württemberg state government that comes into force on 1 July 2020 prohibits events with more than 500 people until 31 October 2020. This therefore removes the legal basis on which Platformers’ Days could have taken place on the original dates.

Despite all of the uncertainties posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, the initial signs were promising and raised hopes that Platformers’ Days could go ahead as planned. The event was due to take place largely outdoors, with visitors evenly spread out. The organisers had also developed a smart and comprehensive safety and hygiene plan and presented it to the relevant authorities.

Britta Wirtz, CEO of Messe Karlsruhe: “We at Messe Karlsruhe could not afford to wait for coronavirus regulations allowing trade fairs with several thousand visitors to take place so that Platformers’ Days could go ahead in September. We have therefore sadly been forced to postpone the event. We had hoped that the state government would back our plan and give us the peace of mind we needed, but those hopes have been dashed.”

“We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the exhibitors, partners and staff who have supported us on this long journey,” adds Olivia Kollmer, project manager of Platformers’ Days. Despite the sadness of the postponement, she is looking forward to next year’s event: “We have received many excellent ideas from the industry, which we can now combine with our own expertise to ensure a successful trade fair next autumn. We can’t wait.”