Veronafiere, the organisers of the SaMoTer construction equipment show in Verona, Italy, have announced new dates for the event which was postponed due to the Covid-19 emergency sweeping the country.
According to a statement from Veronafiere, the new dates for the event are October 21-25 this year. Originally taking place in March, the event had already been rescheduled to May 16-20 after the initial lockdown of northern Italy following the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus in the region. The event was to take place concurrently with Asphaltica, another trade show organised by Veronafiere dedicated to the bitumen and road infrastructure sector, which will now also be held on the same dates in October.
The two events will now share their dates with ICCX Southern Europe, the precast exhibition-conference, and Oil & non-Oil, the energy, fuel and mobility services trade fair scheduled October 21-23.
“The decision to postpone these events was taken in view of the evolution of the novel Coronavirus health emergency and the latest dispositions in the decree of the President of the Council of Ministers dated March 11, which imposes a blockade until March 25 of all activities that do not involve ensuring essential minimum services,” said a statement from Veronafiere.
The requirements of this measure are incompatible with the organisational timing associated with the specific nature of these trade shows characterized by significant logistical and set-up complexities as regards handling and assembling large machinery, the statement said, adding that the October dates are also the best option as regards the seasonal work needs of the reference supply chains, which are concentrated in summer.
Giovanni Mantovani, CEO of Veronafiere, said: “We continue to monitor the scenario, together with the steering committee involving companies, partners and associations such as Unacea and Siteb which co-organizes Asphaltica with us. The new postponement agreed upon is consequently the result of real-time listening to the market and careful assessments. We took into account the need to ensure safety in health terms and safeguard the important investments planned by companies taking part. This unity of intent with stakeholders once again highlights the sector’s confidence in the capacity of the trade fair system to support it and be a tool for relaunching the sector, even in times of great crisis such as those we are currently experiencing.”
