March 03, 2020 I Coronavirus
Adam Hall Group Pulls Out of Prolight + Sound, Citing Coronavirus Concerns
UPDATE: Prolight + Sound 2020 has been postponed and is now taking place May 26 to 29.
Adam Hall Group has decided to pull out of participation in the technology show Prolight + Sound, scheduled March 31-April 3 in Frankfurt, Germany, citing concern over the spread of COVID-19, otherwise known as the coronavirus.
In an entry on the company’s official corporate blog dated Feb. 26, Alexander Pietschmann, CEO of the Adam Hall Group, released the following statement.
“An entertainment trade show needs a certain sense of fun that is so essential to our industry as a whole. Ongoing concerns and precautionary measures associated with the COVID-19 virus mean that this light-heartedness isn’t possible in light of the latest developments. We have made this difficult decision because we attach great importance to the safety and well-being of our employees, business partners and end-users, as well as media partners.”
Prolight + Sound organizers Musikmesse issued a statement clarifying that the event will proceed as scheduled.
“There are no plans to postpone Prolight + Sound. We shall continue to be in regular, close touch with the specialists in the relevant authorities and will follow their advice and implement all recommendations in full. As organizers, our top priority is the health of our exhibitors, visitors and staff! Quite apart from the current situation, the safety and security regulations at the Exhibition Centre are of an extremely high standard, and we have extended them even further in the last few weeks. So, for instance, we have increased the cleaning schedules for heavily frequented areas such as entrances, door handles, escalator handrails, etc. still further. Moreover, additional disinfectant dispensers have been distributed across the Exhibition Centre.”
Similarly, on Feb. 28, organizers of Superbooth20, the synth-focused electronic music show scheduled in Berlin on April 23-25, issued a statement clarifying they, too, do not plan to cancel their event:
“Due to the current situation in the world regarding the coronavirus, we were asked to state our point of view about this topic. With Superbooth20 starting in about eight weeks from now, we prefer to rely on facts rather than speculations about the future,” the statement read. “Without any carelessness about health or risks, we basically are very careful with the daily news spreading and panic producing sensational reports.”
The statement continued, “As long as there is no official ban by the authorities, we have decided to keep on working on the finalization of this year’s Superbooth. Relax and make music!”
