COVID-19 impact | EICMA 2020, Geneva Motor Show 2021 cancelled

The EICMA 2020 and Geneva Motor Show 2021 are the latest in a line of events and exhibitions to be cancelled this year. Scheduled to take place between November 3 and November 8, the 78th edition of the Esposi Esposizione Internazionale del Ciclo, Motociclo, Accessori or International Motorcycle and Accessories Exhibition (EICMA) has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Similarly, the Geneva Motor Show for next year has been cancelled. One of the biggest Motor Shows in the car world, the event was scheduled for earlier this year but has been cancelled due to COVID-19.

In a statement, the organisers of one of the biggest motorcycle exhibitions said: “The value and international leadership of our exhibition-event have convinced us not to wager on the evolution of the health situation linked to the COVID-19 emergency and, above all, to listen to and protect the whole of the two-wheeler industry. Responsibility has been imposed on us and makes us act on a wide scale in the interest of the exhibitors and our visitors, postponing the 2020 show with a solid convergence of intentions.”

The organisers of the Geneva Motor Show conducted a survey in which most manufacturers and exhibitors said they will probably not participate.

The Foundation of the Geneva Motor Show, in a statement, said, “The automotive sector is currently going through a difficult phase, and exhibitors need time to recover from the effects of the pandemic. Furthermore, it is far from certain that the current health situation would permit the organisation of an event attracting more than 6,00,000 visitors and 10,000 journalists next spring.”

The coronavirus has been playing spoilt sport with a lot of the auto shows. A majority of the exhibitions this year including the Detroit and Paris Motor Show have all been cancelled and with Geneva cancelling next year’s show, we already see this trickling into next year’s plans.