The 90th edition of the Geneva International Motor Show, which was supposed to open its doors for the media from next Monday and the general public from 5 to 15th March 2020, has officially been cancelled as the Swiss government banned events with 1,000 people or more in attendance until 15th March 2020.
We regret this situation, but the health of all participants is our and our exhibitors’ top priority. This is a case of force majeure and a tremendous loss for the manufacturers who have invested massively in their presence in Geneva. However, we are convinced that they will understand this decision. – Maurice Turrettini, Chairman of the Foundation Board
GIMS is one of the prestigious and important international auto shows where several new vehicles, concepts and automotive technologies make their global debut. The construction of the stands for the 2020 show was nearly done.
A week ago, during the press conferences announcing the 2020 edition, there was nothing to suggest that such a measure was necessary. The situation changed with the appearance of the first confirmed coronavirus diseases in Switzerland and the injonction (injunction) of the Federal Council on 28.02.2020.
In the meantime, the dismantling (of the stands and everything involved) will now have to be organized. The financial consequences for all those involved in the event are significant and will need to be assessed over the coming weeks. One thing is certain: tickets already purchased for the event will be refunded, the official statement added.
“The show cannot be postponed. It’s not possible. It’s too big. In September, October? It’s not feasible” pic.twitter.com/E1IYREUwNY
— Nick Gibbs (@NickGibbs) February 28, 2020
Rescheduling is not an option. It now appears that all the planned global debuts of the automobiles/concepts will have to take place online or at a later date at the carmakers’ home bases. Another major event that got cancelled this year was the MWC Barcelona.
Recommended for you
Leave a Reply
Note: Comments that are unrelated to the post above get automatically filtered into the trash bin.
