24.03.2020

New APEX dates confirmed

Aerial work platform exhibition APEX has confirmed the new dates for postponed event are the 8th - 10th of September. The event will still be held at the MECC venue in Maastricht, the Netherlands.

The European Rental Association’s annual convention, which was due to run alongside the show, has also rescheduled to the same dates and venue as has the International Rental Exhibition.

Tony Kenter, managing director of organisers I.P.I. said: “We have listened to our partner associations, the exhibitors and the official advice from government bodies, and have taken the decision to postpone the events. We are making this decision now, 11 weeks before the events, because it will eliminate any uncertainty and allow both exhibitors and visitors to plan in advance for the new dates. Europe is facing an unprecedented health crisis: we wish the best for the access and rental industries as they negotiate this difficult period.”

Vertikal Comment

While the situation will hopefully look a good deal brighter by mid June, that is far from certain, and the organisers were absolutely right to take the decision to postpone at this time.

The challenge though will be the sudden cluster of exhibitions in the month, which was already a busy one. The APEX dates conflict with JDL, the French crane and access exhibition in Beaune which has always been scheduled for those dates. The following week is Platformers Days in Germany being held this year at a new location in Karlsruhe and the week after that is the rescheduled Spanish construction equipment show Smopyc.

With many exhibitors already booked into JDL it is going to be a challenge to handle the two events at the same time. For many Italian manufacturers France is their biggest export market, and JDL is a critical date in the calendar. Given the challenges of the current situation coming out into a cluster of overlapping or back to back exhibitions will cause many companies to make some tough decisions.

Having said that it is a real challenge for exhibition organisers, there is no question that once we are all sure that this dreadful episode is behind us people will want and need to get together and discuss the future and catch up on the situation.

There will be a real need for these events. The challenge is how to make it all work. Perhaps we all need to work together to find a solution that works for the industry?