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Coronavirus: Geneva Motor Show 2020 canceled

After the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the most important industry showcase, the Geneva Motor Show, is also being canceled due to the coronavirus. Trade fair: "A case of force majeure." Tickets will be refunded, dismantling begins.

Dense crowd: One of the hallmarks of the trade fair is the assembly of numerous new products in a relatively small space. | Photo: GIMS
Dense crowd: One of the hallmarks of the trade fair is the assembly of numerous new products in a relatively small space. | Photo: GIMS
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As recently as Wednesday, the organizer of the Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS) had assured that the event would take place "as planned", but now, apparently under pressure from the Swiss Federal Council, they had to backtrack and cancel the enormously important trade fair for the industry. The Council prohibited events with more than 1,000 participants to prevent further spreading of the coronavirus. Last year, 600,000 international visitors attended the Geneva show. The GIMS and the Palexpo fair had assured that they were following the guidelines of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) and were in regular contact with the Directorate-General for Health of the Republic and the Canton of Geneva and their medical advisor. The situation was being reassessed at regular intervals by the organizers.

Rapid Increase in Cases Led to Reassessment

This reassessment was apparently made by the authorities, prompting the Federal Council to act. After a first case on Tuesday, by Friday, 15 people had already tested positive for the new coronavirus, explained Interior Minister Alain Berset. More than a hundred people were in quarantine. The extensive spread of the virus in neighboring countries Germany and Italy in recent days, as well as the first confirmed cases in Switzerland, ultimately led to a new assessment of the situation, said Berset. Prior to this, the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which is also important for the automotive industry, had already been canceled, which was supposed to take place this week.

"We regret this situation, but the health of all involved is an absolute priority for us and our exhibitors. This is a case of force majeure. For the exhibitors, who have massively invested in their presence in Geneva, this is a severe loss. However, we are convinced that all those affected will understand this decision. We thank all those who have worked towards the implementation of this 90th edition. GIMS 2020 could have been a fantastic event," said Maurice Turrettini, President of the Foundation Board on behalf of the organizer.

The booths of the participants are almost completed. Now the dismantling needs to be organized. The financial consequences for all involved in the event are significant and will be assessed in the coming weeks. The sold tickets for the event will be refunded. The organizers want to inform about the procedure on their website as soon as possible. Just a week ago, during the press conferences announcing the 2020 edition, there was no indication that such a measure would be necessary, the GIMS organizers apologized.

Translated automatically from German.
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