Good news from the Middle Kingdom: „CMT China was staged in Nanjing in September and Education+ will also be held there as planned in October,“ said Roland Bleinroth, CEO of Messe Stuttgart. CMT China, a spin-off of the parent exhibition CMT in Stuttgart, took place from 18 to 20 September and attracted 213 exhibitors from China and other countries, e.g. Argentina, South Korea and Tunisia.
Around 40,000 visitors were interested in the exhibition programme. The event occupied 30,000 square metres of exhibition space, including an „Outdoor RV Experience Area“ for leisure vehicles. 122 exhibitors are expected to attend Education+ which will occupy 15,000 square metres of exhibition space, including forums and a conference. A Press Conference for AMTech, which is in the event calendar for 2021, was also held.
Two smaller events were staged in the run-up to CMT China: the CMT China Selected Camping and Caravanning Brands Series Events in May with 22 exhibitors and 6,000 visitors. It was repeated in July with 31 exhibitors and 5,000 visitors. The Nanjing Home Decoration and Main Material (Furniture) Expo was also held in July and attracted just over 100 exhibitors and a remarkable number of visitors, i.e. 32,000.
There is also some positive news concerning R+T Asia in Shanghai. „It will take place from 24 to 26 March 2021, i.e back at its normal time in March. We have already started to acquire national exhibitors. The acquisition of international exhibitors will begin very shortly,“ said Bleinroth. Since the entry restrictions for China are still very strict at present, a large number of international visitors is not expected. A hybrid platform with the project name „R+T Asia Connect“ is therefore being planned. International visitors will be able to use this platform to contact companies and obtain information about the exhibited products.
On its homepage the Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA) refers to the fact that trade fairs of various trade fair companies have already been successfully staged again in China since July. All these events were held in accordance with strict hygiene regulations. It was obligatory to wear a face covering, register visitors and measure temperature on the trade fair grounds. The following statement was also made: „Even though the number of exhibitors was lower at times than at previous events, the trade fairs that were staged are regarded as prime examples both for the successful restart after months of uncertainty and for the successful digital supplements such as additional virtual platforms and live streams at the real event.“
„This positive development gives Germany and especially Messe Stuttgart hope that the trade fair business in this country will also soon get back to normal,“ said Bleinroth looking ahead with optimism.
