Just recently, the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona was canceled, Light+Building was postponed from March to September and several dozen companies canceled their participation in Embedded World. The reason: the coronavirus or Corvid-19, so it's no wonder that questions are now being asked about the upcoming Hannover Messe: Will the trade fair take place? If so, in what form?

Dr. Jochen Köckler, CEO of Deutsche Messe AG, has now addressed the public. The core statement: Whether, how and in what form the Hannover Messe will take place will be decided in the 12th calendar week (March 16 to 22, 2020). Here is Köckler's statement in full:

"We are taking the developments surrounding the coronavirus (Covid-19) very seriously. We are in close contact with the relevant health authorities, the Hannover Messe Exhibitors' Advisory Board and our partner associations VDMA and ZVEI.

On February 25, there was a coordination meeting on the current situation with the Executive Board of the Exhibitor Advisory Board and the associations. All participants agreed that it is too early at this stage to decide whether to postpone the Hannover Messe. As of today, there have been no significant exhibitor cancellations for the event, which opens its doors on April 20. Further talks with the health authorities will take place this week to decide which specific measures will be implemented for the Hannover Messe.

However, developments in Europe and the postponement of individual trade fairs in Germany show that the situation can change on a daily basis. In this respect, we will continue to monitor and discuss the situation intensively - with the aim of reassessing the situation together with the health authorities and the Exhibitor Advisory Board in the 12th week in mid-March.

Irrespective of this, we will ensure the highest possible standards of hygiene, safety and medical care at the trade fair. The safety and health of all employees, customers, partners and guests is a top priority for Deutsche Messe."