Messe Düsseldorf has created a hygiene and infection protection concept intended to ensure the safety and welfare of exhibitors, visitors, partners and members of staff, as the exhibition company looks to restart trade fair operations in September.
The hygiene and infection protection concept (as detailed below) of the Düsseldorf exhibition centre is claimed to enable relevant industry events and gatherings to be held while ensuring the greatest protection possible for exhibitors, visitors, partners and members of staff. It ensures observance of the required health precautions, hygiene measures and distancing rules, and encompasses both measures for headcount and space management as well as hygiene, technical and organisational measures provided by the federal state government for holding congresses and trade fairs. The current Corona Protection Ordinance of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia serves as a basis.
Newly-appointed Messe Düsseldorf CEO Wolfram N. Diener said, ‘All signs are pointing towards a new departure. Enterprises need platforms now to present themselves and their innovations, to network and jointly chart the course for the future. With our leading international trade fairs, we deliver second-to-none prerequisites for doing so. Our hygiene and infection protection standards ensure that the safety and health of our exhibitors, visitors, partners and members of staff are protected in the best possible way. We are ready.’
Messe Düsseldorf noted that the gradual easing of international travel restrictions is prompting the resumption of trade fair operations. Following the first border openings within Europe, the German Federal Government has gradually lifted the restrictions for entries from third countries since 1 July, 2020. Such initiatives especially benefit Messe Düsseldorf’s trade fair profile as they welcome a particularly high number of international attendees. In 2019 this stood at 73.4% for exhibitors and 37.1% for visitors.
Thomas Geisel, Lord Mayor of the state capital and chairman of the supervisory board of Messe Düsseldorf, commented, ‘I welcome how responsibly Messe Düsseldorf deals with the topic of infection protection and takes all precautions to ensure that safe trade fair operations are also possible in corona times.
‘With its concept, the trade fair company provides the basis for the restart that business needs so urgently. Its leading, global trade fairs are indispensable for this; and this not only applies to exhibitors and visitors from throughout the world but also to the numerous firms operating in skilled crafts, stand construction, transport, catering, hospitality and retail that all benefit from the events.’
The global coronavirus pandemic effectively wiped clean the planned exhibition calendar for 2020, with Messe Düsseldorf one of the first to postpone and reschedule events, including ProWein, wire, Tube, Beauty, Top Hair and Energy Storage Europe. Caravan Salon Düsseldorf, a trade fair for motorhomes and caravans, will mark the resumption of trade fair operations at Düsseldorf Messe when it runs 4-13 September, 2020. Other events on the calendar for this year include the medical technology trade fairs Medica and Compamed (16-19 November), Valve World Expo (1-3 December), and the wire and Tube events (7-11 December).
Messe Düsseldorf’s packaging exhibitions, interpack and drupa, are set to run in February and April next year having been rescheduled from spring/summer 2020. Heidelberg has recently confirmed it will not be participating at drupa 2021, or other international trade fairs next year. Xerox and Bobst have made similar announcements.
Hygiene and infection protection concept
Official distancing and hygiene rules remain applicable at events held at Düsseldorf Messe, and compliance is up to each individual – as is the case in the public sphere and in retail. These rules include maintaining a minimum distance of 1.5m, seeing to personal hand hygiene, wearing a face mask, following sneeze etiquette, and foregoing such welcoming rituals as shaking hands. If needed, face masks will be handed out by service staff at the entrances and on-site.
More specifically, all forthcoming events at the Düsseldorf location will be subject to a limit on attendee numbers to ensure distancing can be observed. Tickets will therefore be limited and only available online; visitors will have to register upon purchasing them. This permits the monitoring of the headcount as people enter the venue. At the same time, the provisions of the Corona Protection Ordinance of the federal state North Rhine-Westphalia governing the traceability of all persons present can be complied with and implemented.
Wherever queues form, floor markings will draw attention to the minimum distancing requirements. Here and on all public spaces, Messe Düsseldorf staff and security personnel will ensure these distances are observed. This is performed on-site and by means of existing video systems. At exhibitors’ stands this is done by their employees. To avoid bumping into people, all aisles are to be operated as ‘roads’, with moving traffic keeping to the right. All doors – with the exception of fire protection doors – will be kept open for contactless use.
Sanitisers will be made available across the entire premises; at stands exhibitors themselves will be in charge of this. All payment transactions will be cashless wherever possible. For this reason, all ticket counters will remain closed. Service desks, counters, etc. will be equipped with transparent partitions as hygiene guards. At least twice a day – and more frequently depending on footfall – turnstiles and ticket scanners, service desk and counter tops, as well as contact surfaces such as door handles, will be cleaned.
In the toilet facilities, the maximum number of persons is determined by the number of open WCs and urinals. One out of two urinals and wash basins will be blocked off; WC cubicles will all be accessible without any restrictions. To monitor the number of users and safeguard the shorter cleaning and disinfection intervals of WCs, handles, washbasins and taps, all toilet facilities will be staffed permanently by cleaners.
Constant and sufficient ventilation is ensured by the air-handling systems and the specifications for stand construction and exhibit displays: the volume of fresh air constantly supplied to the halls exceeds the actual need many times over, according to Messe Düsseldorf, and the fresh air quality corresponds to outdoor air. Furthermore, conference rooms or ground floors in multi-storey stands are only permitted with open layouts to ensure they receive sufficient ventilation. The same applies to walk-in exhibits whose doors, windows and roof hatches have to be open at all times.
As before, there will be food service and catering offered at the events. The operators have to draw up their own hygiene and infection protection concept for this based on the Corona Protection Ordinance of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia and its annexes. For the duration of the coronavirus pandemic, there is a general ban on stand parties and/or exhibitor parties at the premises. Stand construction is governed by the ‘SARS-CoV-2-Arbeitsschutz-standard’ H&S standard of the Federal German Ministry for Labour and Social Affairs.
All members of staff will receive textile face masks; for outdoor jobs there will be an additional visor. Tools are, if possible, personally assigned to individual employees and will be cleaned before being handed over to third parties. Protective gloves are mandatory if jobs cannot be performed with personally assigned tools, or if an immediate exchange of materials and objects is required.
The hygiene and infection protection standards are constantly adapted to future developments and changing legal requirements. Messe Düsseldorf will provide timely information on any changes.
Mr Diener emphasises, ‘The safety of our exhibitors, visitors, partners and employees is always our top priority. As usual, they can expect a high level of hygiene, safety and good medical care at the Düsseldorf exhibition centre.’
