Organiser Spielwarenmesse eG said it had been left with with no alternative due to recent Bavarian government guidelines for trade fairs.

After much deliberation, the management at Insights-X has taken the decision to cancel the stationery expo this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Despite an initially positive outlook, the Bavarian State Government’s new guidelines for trade fairs and exhibitions and their expected implications have prompted organiser Spielwarenmesse eG to say it had been left with with no alternative. The organisation said the decision has been taken in good time to give participants enough scope to plan ahead.

Spielwarenmesse eG is the fair organiser and marketing services provider for Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg (plus Spielwarenmesse Digital), Kids India in Mumbai and Insights-X in Nuremberg. The company also provides World of Toys by Spielwarenmesse eG, which enables manufacturers to exhibit at pavilions featured at trade fairs in Asia, Russia and the USA.

A statement says that while exhibitors have expressed regret at the cancellation, they also appreciate the reasoning behind the move. The cancellation has come about following the German government’s latest guidelines for staging trade fairs in Bavaria which come into force on 1st September, with the organisers believing that the regulations, as outlined in the framework document, “would make it impossible to offer the kind of exhibition experience that helps firms strengthen and build business contacts.”

The organisers have also pointed to a lack of clarity regarding the situation in October; as travel restrictions are still in place for many of the countries from which retailers, buyers and exhibitors hail, this would have unforeseeable implications for the overall success of the fair.

Many exhibitors who had signed up to show at the 2021 edition on the assumption that near-normal conditions would prevail have said they will remain loyal to Insights-X and have already indicated that they will back the event in 2022, which is due to open its doors at Nuremberg Exhibition Centre from 6th to 8th October next year. There are no plan sto stage a digital version of Insights-X in 2021.