NürnbergMesse GmbH, responsible for holding the Chillventa trade show this October in Nuremberg, Germany, is seeking feedback from the global HVAC&R community about whether the every-other-year event should go forward as planned, or cancelled because of uncertainty about the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic in the fall.
In a press release on the Chillventa website, Petra Wolf, head of Expo & Conference, NürnbergMesse GmbH, and a Member of its Management Board, said that Chillventa, one of the leading HVAC&R events in the world, is currently on course to take place at the Exhibition Center Nuremberg, October 13-15, 2020.
“As of today, 4 May 2020, more than 800 exhibitors from around the world have committed to participate: That is the same level as at the same time in 2018,” she said. “That is a great sign in these difficult times.”
However, a final decision on whether Chillventa will take place will depend on feedback from the HVAC&R community. To that end, Wolf invited HVAC&R stakeholders to complete a brief survey, available here.
“We will not hold an event against the wishes of the industry, but only with and for the community,” she said. “The results [of the survey] will serve as a gauge for our decisions related to Chillventa, which we will make in consultation with our Advisory Board in the best interests of the refrigeration, air-conditioning, ventilation and heat pump community.”
NürnbergMesse GmbH is is also reaching out to a wide range of Chillventa stakeholders, including registered exhibitors and visitors at the 2018 Chillventa;; the Exhibition Advisory Board, composed of exhibiting companies and institutions; subsidiaries in Brazil, China, India, Italy, North America and Austria; and an international network of more than 100 representatives.
“This gives us a nuanced sense of sentiment in the industry,” Wolf said.
If Chillventa is held as planned in October, Wolf said it would likely be “considerably more national in terms of both exhibitors and visitors,” given the possibility of continued worldwide travel restrictions. The event would follow an extensive safety and hygiene plan “to protect all our guests at the exhibition,” including mandatory face masks and hand hygiene, and managing crowd density to maintain sufficient distancing.
“We will heed and implement all recommendations of the government authorities, the WHO, and the Robert Koch Institute,” Wolf said.
If Chillventa cannot be held as a physical event, NürnbergMesse GmbH is preparing “digital solutions” for both Chillventa and the Chillventa CONGRESS, “although we do not think that a virtual trade fair is a substitute or alternative for face-to-face interactions,” she said.
We will not hold an event against the wishes of the industry, but only with and for the community.
Petra Wolf, NürnbergMesse GmbH
