15 September 2020. The Tarsus Group, organizer of Labelexpo India 2020 and Brand Print India 2020, has today confirmed that the upcoming editions of the co-located shows, due to take place at India Expo Centre, Greater Noida, Delhi NCR, from 2 to 5 December 2020, have been postponed. Tarsus says this is in light of ongoing concerns over the Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic. It was high time for the announcement since even the 2021 Gulf Pack event originally scheduled for April 2022, was rescheduled by Tarsus to December 2021 in May.
Lisa Milburn, managing director of Labelexpo/Brand Print Global Series, said today in the press release issued by the company, “We have been monitoring the evolving situation in India, and the ongoing impact of Coronavirus/Covid-19 means that we are no longer able to run the show as planned in early December this year. We have taken the decision to postpone the 2020 editions of Labelexpo India and Brand Print India.
“We have acted on the advice of our local partners, the venue, the health authorities, and taken on board exhibitor feedback in reaching this decision. The health and safety of exhibitors, visitors, and staff remains our top priority.”
“We thank all our Labelexpo and Brand Print India exhibitors and partners for their continued understanding and look forward to working with them. Crucially, these shows – along with our other Labelexpo shows around the world – will play a vital role in driving the economic recovery of the region’s label and package printing industry, plus their supply chain, post COVID-19.”
The new dates for the shows will be announced shortly. Further updates will be posted on the show website in due course. For any exhibitor or show related questions, please contact the event director, Pradeep Saroha psaroha@labelexpo.com.
Our view – beyond postponements and exhibitions
Our view, which is well-known worldwide, is that let’s talk beyond postponements and even beyond exhibitions. The Covid-19 has perhaps damaged both the possibility and desirability of the multiplicity of exhibitions. Having just taken part in the Virtual Congress and Expo of the Active and Intelligent Packaging Industry Association on 10 September, which was an enormous and complex success, we can suggest that there may be a new way to conduct new product and technology B2B sharing. It may be difficult in the future to sell shows by the square meter, and you may have to market them by the number and depth of meaningful interactions.
The survey on our home pages with more than 300 responses indicates that 63% of our audience who have responded do not believe there will be any trade shows in India in 2020. The next forecasting project will be to predict when the Covid-19 pandemic subsides and when travel protocols and safety will allow trade exhibitions. Since the postponements could be endless, it would be better to start working on the virtual experience.
