COLOGNE, Germany — Preparations for the 2020 Tire Cologne trade show are continuing as planned, show organizer Koelnmesse G.m.b.H. said this week in response to queries about the potential threat posed by the coronavirus that's widespread in Asia and starting to appear in Europe.
The 2020 Tire Cologne is scheduled for June 9-12 at the Cologne Fair Grounds.
Koelnmesse said it "will evaluate the recommendations of the responsible authorities regarding major events and, as before, we will make our decisions after careful consideration."
Koelnmesse's message comes a day after the organizers of the annual Geneva International Motor Show in Geneva, Switzerland, canceled that event just two days before it was scheduled to open.
The trade fair group said it will provide information "about sensible prophylactic measures on site. We are increasingly offering disinfectants, which are considered to be the most effective means against transmission."
Highly frequented areas will be cleaned with increased frequency, Koelnmesse said, adding that "qualified" doctors and paramedics on the fairgrounds are prepared for possible suspicious cases and available to answer any questions visitors may have once on site.
"Should a suspicious case arise during the event, all spatial and organizational precautions are taken on the trade fair grounds to ensure immediate remedial actions," the enterprise said.
The 2020 Tire Cologne is just the second international tire industry trade show that Koelnmesse has organized. Prior to the inaugural event in 2018, Essen, Germany, had hosted the Reifen trade show for decades.
In 2014, however, the BundesReifenVerband (German tire and retreaders' association) broke ranks with Reifen organizer Messe Essen G.m.b.H., and instead allied itself with KoelnMesse to establish a competing event in Cologne.
The inaugural Tire Cologne also incorporated other tire industry events, including a Global Retreading Conference organized by BIPAVER, "Future Tire Conference," organized by European Rubber Journal (a Tire Business sister publication), and a tire/rubber recycling conference.
Koelnmesse only recently posted an update on progress toward the 2020 event, stating that it's expecting 500 exhibitors from around 40 countries to be on the trade show floor and that it's planning a series of special exhibits and events tied to the theme "Future Mobility."
Among these will be four visionary approaches to how the tires of the future might change — foldable, airless, sustainable and 3D-printed.
There also will be a Global Retreading Conference on the opening day of the trade fair, organized under the motto, "Retreading in the Circular Economy," and a "Recycling Forum" organized by the trade journals "Retreading Business" and "Tyre & Rubber Recycling."