Upcoming Webinars – January/February 2021
January 8, 2021
Measuring and Making Time Work!
February 3, 2021
In normal circumstances, this week we would have been well underway preparing for The Hardware Show, originally due to take place at the end of next month. Like many other businesses Covid-19 considerably changed our plans and we made the decision to reschedule the Show to November this year.
Support from exhibitors and partners have never been higher, and we’re pleased to confirm that the show is now 82% sold!
Rescheduled from February 2021 until November 2021, the official show of Hardware Association Ireland – The Hardware Show – will now run from 14th – 15th November 2021 at the Citywest Convention Centre, Citywest, Saggart, Co. Dublin. Government clarity has now been secured by The Irish Exhibition Organisers Association (IEOA) which outlines that trade fairs and exhibitions may run under levels 1 and 2 of Covid-19 Government guidelines. This is an important milestone and signals that planning can re-commence for the organisation of the event.
On behalf of the entire trade fair and exhibition industry, the Irish Exhibition Organisers Association (IEOA) is calling on exhibitors, SMEs and industry bodies to re-engage with trade fair and exhibition professionals as we look towards the rest of 2021.
Robert Troy, Minister of State, Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, with responsibility for Trade Promotion, acknowledged his support for enabling trade fairs and exhibitions to recommence in 2021.
Minister of State Robert Troy said: “I am delighted to see first-hand the level of preparedness that venues are making to ensure that they can reopen safely when permitted under public health guidance and the Government’s Living with COVID-19 Roadmap. A significant effort has been made by the industry to develop protocols for the safe return to business. I envisage no reason that trade exhibitions cannot reopen in Level 2, subject to a decline in trajectory of the virus.
“As Minister for Trade Promotion, I recognise the value of face-to-face engagement and business networking and I look forward to the reopening of the business events and trade shows in the coming months. 2021 is the year we make trade a priority, and I will continue to work with my Government colleagues to see the safe return of trade exhibitions which give businesses the space to make connections and work together.”
Chair of the IEOA Garret Buckley, MD of Eventhaus, organisers of of The Hardware Show – and event partner of Hardware Association Ireland, adds – “The closure of exhibitions and trade fairs since March has been devestating for the many SMEs that rely upon our events to get their product or service to market.
“As an industry, the IEOA has been working tirelessly since our exhibitors, visitors and teams. Minister Troy and his officials engaged with us early and his efforts have helped our industry in achieving clarity in a time of uncertainty. Government clarity is a crucial first step in restoring confidence.”
Under levels 1 and 2 of the Covid-19 Government guidelines, IEOA-drafted Covid-19 protocols will be in place to ensure best
practice health and safety standards are delivered once trade fairs and exhibitions recommence.
Garret continues: “We have high hopes for a rebuilding of the economy later in the year; certainly, by the latter half of the 2021. The Hardware Show is now well positioned to avail of the returning confidence of both exhibitors and visitors who have been denied business, and face-to-face contact for so long.
“If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the importance of human interaction. There is no better marketing or sales funnel than face-to-face, and as Ireland rebuilds, we are very hopeful that trade events will be well supported by their sectors who recognise the immense value that they deliver.”
The IEOA protocols ensure the safety of all exhibitors, visitors, and staff, and have been reviewed by the Health and Safety Authority and the Department of Health. They are an important structure in contributing to make trade fairs one of the safest indoor environments possible. Under Levels 1 and 2, trade fairs and exhibitions can resume on the basis of these protocols, without requiring a national vaccination programme to be completed, as has already happened in Asia and parts of Europe.
The Hardware Show is taking place at the Citywest Conference Centre, Citywest, Saggart, Co. Dublin on 14th – 15th November
2021. Contact Margaret Andreucetti for further information on [email protected].
Visit www.thehardwareshow.ie for more information.
