The COVID Fallout Continues; 2022 Agritechnica Cancelled
December 21, 2021 As the world prepares to bid farewell to 2021, I would have bet anything that the COVID-19 pandemic would now be long into society’s rearview mirror. Yet, even as the world gets ready for a new year to arrive, the same old problems with in-person events these past two years persist.
With the 2021 holiday season in full swing, I have spent a lot of my time shopping for Christmas. I’ve also started registration for many winter-month in-person events – many of which were held virtually or outright cancelled during 2021 because of the ongoing pandemic. And even with the new Omicron variant causing plenty of headaches for entertainment venues and sporting events, I’ve not heard from any trade group or state association that their planned 2022 events are on hold – at least not yet.
Of course, this is the case for events taking place within the confines of the continental United States. Unfortunately, outside the U.S., it is a bit of a different matter. Countries such as South Africa, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom (to name a few) are already in the midst of huge omicron variant outbreaks.
And apparently so is Germany. In fact, this outbreak has gotten so bad that the 2022 Agritechnica show, which was scheduled to take place in March in Hanover, has already been pushed back to 2023 instead. The formal announcement of this move was made on December 13, almost three months prior to the event scheduled to take place.
“With regret, we have observed that, following the deteriorating pandemic situation in recent weeks and the resulting current official regulations, a justified exceptional situation has arisen, under which the trouble-free execution of Agritechnica is no longer possible,” said the German Agricultural Society in a press release. “Together with the VDMA Agricultural Machinery Association and the trade fair’s exhibitor advisory board, and following many discussions with both exhibitors and visitors, we have therefore decided to cancel next year’s Agritechnica. We have made this decision respecting our responsibilities towards the health and safety of all. We deeply regret the cancellation.”
Loading ...So, it appears that the COVID-19 fallout will continue upon the international stage for at least a little while longer. Hopefully, the domestic situation won’t end up the same way!
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