Security Essen Trade Fair Canceled Due to Coronavirus Crisis

Organizers cite health and travel concerns for canceling the international show in Germany, which is held every two years.

• By Haley Samsel
• May 14, 2020

Organizers of the international trade fair Security Essen announced on Thursday that the conference, planned for Sept. 22-25 in Germany, has been canceled due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. In its announcement, Security Essen said that the "customer expectations and the performance promise" of the fair could not fulfilled under the current circumstances, where people are being advised to avoid crowds or large gatherings.

The showcase is held every two years, meaning that the next fair is being planned for Sept 20-23, 2022.

"The anticipation of this year's edition and the new concept of Security Essen was great among all those involved, the more difficult it was for us to decide to cancel the fair," Oliver P. Kuhrt, Managing Director of Messe Essen said in a statement. "However, the current dynamic situation and the continuing global travel restrictions unfortunately do not permit serious preparations for the fair. As a result, our exhibitors and visitors and also we as the organisers lack the planning perspective which would have been a prerequisite for the customary professional staging of Security Essen this September.”

Norbert Schaaf, chairman of the management board of the Federal Association of Safety Engineering (BHE) and chairman of the Security Essen Advisory Board, said that the decision was made after a "prudent and careful evaluation" of the current situation by event organizers and partners.

"Since the majority of our fair participants come to Essen from abroad, we had to act with particular prudence," Schaaf said. "Due to the unclear worldwide development of the Coronavirus pandemic and the associated uncertain travel planning, there was unfortunately no alternative in the end.”

The announcement follows the decisions of other security conferences to postpone or potentially cancel conferences slated for later this year. ISC West has postponed its March event to October and organizers of the Global Security Exchange (GSX) have said they are exploring options to move their event online.