Corona virus: What to do if the fair is cancelled

Present products optimally with the help of PR measures

Due to the worldwide development of the corona virus, the trade fair industry is also facing difficult times. Due to the numerous cancellations of trade fairs, exhibitors were unable to present their products. The ITB was scheduled to take place in Berlin from March 4 to 8, making it one of the first major German trade fairs to be cancelled due to the virus.

The world’s largest tourism trade fair is vital for the approximately 3 million employees and for both small and large companies in the industry. An industry with 105 billion turnover per year is on the verge of collapse.¹ The tourism industry is directly linked to a large business area of the aviation industry and parts of the suppliers and subcontractors. The aerospace industry employs 115,500 people, 73% of whom work in civil aviation.²

Presentations and conferences take place online

The concrete needs of companies differ greatly in a crisis situation. Alternative, mostly digital, replacement strategies and creative methods are tested. Companies such as Porsche and Daimler, which had to act quickly after the cancellation of the Geneva Motor Show, took advantage of the opportunity to present themselves digitally and showed their new models in a video stream.³

Implement PR measures to present products and services

Despite the general uncertainty, there is still the possibility for affected companies to present their products in the best possible way by means of PR measures. This is where an effective and efficient communication strategy helps, which can be implemented at short notice to reach the desired target groups. On the one hand, classic media work is a good option, but in the current situation, where people are usually at home, online PR, social media communication and blogger & influencer relations are the most effective ways of maintaining contact with customers and strengthening their presence on the web via these channels.

¹ Source: Tourismus sorgt für fast 3 Millionen Arbeitsplätze und trägt über 100 Milliarden Euro zur Wertschöpfung in Deutschland bei
² Source: Statistiken zum Luftverkehr
³ Source: Coronavirus: Neue Automodelle im Internet statt in Genf