Industry Events Postponed Over Coronavirus Fears

FEARS OVER coronavirus have led to a number of construction industry events being postponed.

The Safety and Health Expo, Firex, The National Homebuilding and Renovating Show, and Large Scale Solar EU are four that have been postponed over Covid-19.

The National Homebuilding and Renovating Show was set to take place at the NEC in Birmingham on 26-29 March, but will now be held in July.

Nick Noble, Commercial & Events Director at Parent Company Future plc, said: “We have been monitoring the situation very closely and listening to the feedback of everyone concerned, and took the decision to provide total clarity to the marketplace. Naturally, we regret that we are having to postpone the event, however, the safety and welfare of our staff, exhibitors and visitors is paramount.

“We have been following the advice and guidance issued by the Government and believe that it is the right decision at this time. However, we plan to hold the event in four months’ time when we believe the situation in the UK will be much clearer and we can continue to maximise the opportunities and investment made by all our exhibitors.”

Safety and Health Expo

The Safety and Health Expo was previously scheduled for May but will now be help on 8-10 September at London ExCeL, in London’s Docklands.

The Expo was scheduled to coincide with a number of other events, including fire safety event FIREX, which has also been rescheduled for the same three days.

According to the organisers, the decision was made to allow all of the events to better fulfil their obligation to deliver the best possible platform for both exhibitors and visitors to do business.

Clarity for Attendees

Chris Edwards, Group Director, Safety and Health Practitioner Parent Company, Informa Markets said: “We have been closely following developments since COVID–19 began spreading, and we have consistently been mindful of its potential impact on global events like ours.

“By working closely with our venue partners ExCeL we have now been able to secure rescheduled dates for these events, which will now serve as an opportunity for our clients and exhibitors to regather in September —it gives the market time to recover as demand catches up.

“The rescheduled date provides clarity and ensures we have time and space to deliver the same fantastic event we promised, providing a safe and secure environment conducive to business, networking and career development for the health and safety and facilities management professions.”

Those other events that have also been rescheduled to the same period in September include IFSEC International, FIREX International, Facilities Show, Intelligent Building Europe, Workplace Wellbeing Show and Counter Terror Expo, Ambition, Forensics Expo Europe, and World Counter Terror Congress (organised by Clarion).

Gerry Dunphy, Strategy Director of FIREX International and IFSEC International, said: “In order to provide some much-needed clarity in this uncertain time, our events teams will be contacting exhibitors and partners to discuss the rescheduled dates, answer any enquiries, and to ensure we can deliver the same event experience as originally planned.

“However, a series of events of this scale requires careful planning and organisation, so we ask for understanding in advance for any disruption this change may cause.”

Large Scale Solar EU was due to take place at the end of March in Portugal. However he event has now been rearranged for 30 June until 1 July.