In close consultation with the Hannover Region Health Authority, the Hannover Messe Exhibitors' Council and the partner associations VDMA and ZVEI. Deutsche Messe has decided to postpone the Hannover Messe to July 13 - 17, 2020.

The Hannover Region Health Authority had urgently recommended that Deutsche Messe follow the advice of the Robert Koch Institute. These include comprehensive measures to safeguard health when organizing major events. These include fever measuring stations at all entrances, as well as implementing the measure of not admitting any participants from risk areas and refusing entry to events to participants who have had contact with people from risk areas. This would result in extensive screening of all trade fair participants - from exhibitors and visitors to service providers, stand constructors and catering companies.

These measures are not feasible for Deutsche Messe. Moreover, their implementation would result in the disruption-free staging of the event being impaired to such an extent that the purpose of the event as planned could not be achieved for either exhibitors or visitors, or could only be achieved with considerable restrictions.

Since the health of exhibitors, visitors, employees and the general public is a top priority for Deutsche Messe, it was decided in consultation with the Hannover Messe Exhibitor Advisory Board to switch to the July date.

"With the July date, we are offering our exhibitors the earliest possible time to present their innovations to a global audience and to initiate business," says Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman and CEO of Deutsche Messe . "In view of the global economic challenges triggered by the coronavirus in the first half of the year, the new date offers considerable opportunities. This means that the world's most important industrial trade fair can provide important impetus for the global economy early on in July. This means that Hannover Messe is and will remain the figurehead of German industry."

"The VDMA supports Deutsche Messe's decision. In view of the current difficulties caused by the coronavirus, we believe it is right to postpone the Hannover Messe to July," says VDMA Managing Director Thilo Brodtmann. "We assume that the situation will calm down in the coming months and that the mechanical engineering sector will then benefit from an upturn in business."

"Today's decision by Deutsche Messe to postpone the Hannover Messe is the right one in terms of content and comes at the right time," emphasizes Wolfgang Weber, Chairman of the ZVEI Executive Board. "As an internationally important industrial trade fair, it thrives in a special way on bringing people from all over the world together. This can only take place if there are no health risks. It is important for the electrical industry to present its products for Industry 4.0, electrification and greater energy efficiency to the public this summer."