The uncertainty caused by the ongoing Corona crisis is also noticeable within the dental industry. Over the past months, together with Koelnmesse, the partners of the 39th edition, IDS 2021, the GFDI mbH, a commercial company of the VDDI, the association and its bodies have intensely occupied themselves with the safety criteria, which makes the physical presence of an international trade fair like IDS possible. Ultimately, different solutions were developed jointly by all of the parties concerned and an alternative concept was drawn up for the trade fair format, IDS.
A current visitor and exhibitor survey by Koelnmesse shows that many exhibitors will definitely participate in March 2021. 1,276 companies have already confirmed their participation to-date. Beyond this, the conditions of a criteria and quality catalogue, which are among others governed by the current safety regulations in Germany, are fulfilled. The following concept-related measures will be implemented to ensure the successful conduction of the 39th edition of IDS in March 2021.
- The duration of the 39th IDS is being reduced from five down to four days (from Wednesday, 10.03. to Saturday, 13.03.2021).
- The design of the fair grounds and the hall allocation will be completely replanned in order to safely distribute more than 1,200 exhibitors in line with the Corona protection regulations and to organise the visitor traffic with several entrances and larger safety distances.
- A generous layout with wider aisles, additional circulation, food service and resting areas.
- Koelnmesse additionally offers hybrid tools on a digital platform, in order to expediently enhance the physical presence at the trade fair. This also enables guests or exhibitors from abroad to participate in IDS 2021.
VDDI Chairman, Mark Stephen Pace, commented in this connection: “Several working committees comprising of our members have in close coordination with the board and advisory board and with the association's office, undertaken everything possible to make the 39th edition of IDS possible in spite of the current difficult framework conditions. It was not an easy task to come to an agreement regarding the new concept for IDS. During the session yesterday, we strove to find the best solution and many aspects were controversially debated. I am delighted that we now have the certainty and can all work jointly on offering the 39th IDS 2021 as a platform for the dental industry in spite of the restrictions brought about by the crisis. The VDDI Association has mastered many challenges in its meanwhile 104-year history and will proactively shape the current crisis.”
And Oliver Frese, Executive Director and COO of Koelnmesse added: "We are delighted about the positive commitment of the dental industry and are well-prepared for staging IDS. In compliance with the provisions of the Corona Protective Ordinance of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and in close coordination with the authorities in Cologne, we have developed our extensive hygiene and safety concept #B-SAFE4business, which comprises of a host of measures that interlock seamlessly and govern the interaction among all people present at the trade fair. In close cooperation with our partners, we have additionally developed different stand construction concepts and event formats and perfectly aligned them to suit the changed framework conditions. These include for example the newly developed eGuard app for guiding the visitor flow, a streaming studio, a camera-based people-counting system or the “Human Security Radar”, which enables contact-free bag controls. In our #B-SAFE4businessVillage, exhibitors and media representatives can currently gain an impression of how it is possible to stage trade fairs also in times of Corona in compliance with the hygiene and safety distance regulations. We are looking forward to IDS in Cologne.”
The estimation of AUMA, the Exhibition and Trade Fair Committee of the German Economy e.V. also speaks in favour of a successful conduction of IDS in March 2021, according to which foreign trade fair participants are principally also allowed to enter the country. According to a resolution of the Federal Government passed on 15.09.2020, trade fair participants (exhibitors and visitors) are in principal allowed to travel to Germany even if they come from a nation that doesn’t belong to the EU/Schengen region or from a group of countries on the German positive list. The quarantine obligation for travellers from risk regions, who provide a negative Corona test that has been carried out no longer than 48 hours before entering the country, does not apply. The test can be carried out in Germany, however in this case the quarantine regulations have to observed until the test result has been received.
