Organizer Says InterTabac 2020 Will Happen as Scheduled

The organizer of InterTabac, the world’s largest international tobacco trade show, says the 2020 event is expected to take place as scheduled, in Dortmund, Germany during Sept. 18-20, 2020.

Westfalenhallen Unternehmensgruppe, the company that owns both the event and the convention center where it takes place, announced today that it is moving forward with plans to have the event, though further details about health and safety measures related to the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic will be announced next month.

“Afterwards, we will evaluate these measures and, on this basis, coordinate our further course of action – especially with regard to InterTabac and InterSupply,” said Sabine Loos, managing director of Westfalenhallen, in a statement. “We assume that voting on this should be completed in late May and early June.”

A statement from the company indicated that part of those safety measures could include a limit about the number of people attending the event. Last year, InterTabac said that 13,800 people attended the event which has over 500 exhibitors from 47 countries.

In an interview published last week, Loos said that the company hoped to provide clearer guidance before summer.

“The Association of Trade Fair Organisers is currently in detailed talks with the Federal Government and the state authorities in North-Rhine Westphalia to develop and coordinate measures for staging trade fairs safely before long. This includes allowing visitors from abroad to travel to trade fairs in Germany. We’re keeping a close eye on developments and watching emerging recommendations in all areas. Our aim is to give exhibitors and visitors a firm basis for their planning before the summer.”

InterTabac refers to the area of the trade show related to products, whereas InterSupply focuses on machinery and suppliers for making those products. Both events take place at the same time inside various halls inside Messe Westfalenhallen Dortmund. Attendees are given access to both events.

Unlike the PCA Convention & Trade Show, which focuses on premium cigars and pipes, InterTabac and InterSupply showcase all tobacco products including e-cigarette and vaping products.

A translated version of today’s announcement is as follows:

Dortmund (ll) – The last weeks and months of the corona pandemic have brought different challenges for almost all industries. The event and especially the trade fair industry worldwide is particularly affected by the measures that have been adopted by the authorities. “Nevertheless, due to the latest signals from politics, we are a bit more positive about the organization of trade fairs in Dortmund,” says Sabine Loos, managing director of the Westfalenhallen group of companies.

The authorities are currently advising what the requirements for trade fair organizers can be in order to be able to hold trade fairs with a limited number of people and hygiene measures after May 31, 2020. How these will look in detail will be announced in the next few days or weeks.

“Afterwards, we will evaluate these measures and, on this basis, coordinate our further course of action – especially with regard to InterTabac and InterSupply”, continues Sabine Loos. “We assume that voting on this should be completed in late May and early June.”

Messe Dortmund is working flat out to create concepts for holding trade fairs. Already at the beginning of the corona pandemic, various measures were successfully introduced at the exhibition center in Dortmund and an awareness campaign on various channels pointed out the correct handling of the hygiene area. With the upcoming loosening from June 2020, new conditions will be imposed on trade fair organizers. These will be incorporated into the overall concept of Messe Dortmund and included in the planning for InterTabac and InterSupply.

The world’s largest trade fair for tobacco products and smoking accessories will take place from September 18 to 20, 2020 at Messe Dortmund.