Expowest Cornwall postpones its 2021 trade show

Expowest Cornwall has become the latest trade show to postpone due to the ongoing restrictions caused by Covid-19.

Hale Events, the organiser, announced that next year’s trade show will be postponed until 19th-20th May at the Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge, due to restrictions possibly being in place until early March.

“With current market conditions as they are, they do not feel that running the show in March is a practical proposition, or indeed the best timing for either exhibitors or buyers,” Hale Events said.

Although Cornwall is set to be busy with staycations in 2021, the organisers added, “it will be at least Easter before the vaccine can be rolled out nationwide and we all start to see a return to a semblance of normality”.

Expowest Cornwall will be as important for Cornish businesses as ever, if not even more so next year, Hale Events said. “To reconnect suppliers with the market, so as to showcase their new products and ranges, and to give buyers the chance to get the products and ideas they will need to be as profitable as possible through 2021.”

The show will have Covid-19 measures in place to ensure a safe environment for buyers and exhibitors. “Following a challenging 2020, it’s the perfect opportunity to get back up to speed and kickstart your business for the year,” the company said.

This year, a number of food and drink trade shows have postponed their events or taken them online, and it appears that 2021 will see continued disruption caused by the pandemic. Montgomery Group, the organisers of the IFE, have pushed their shows back to 2022 to ensure they can go ahead, while Scotland’s Speciality Food Show has decided to take its 2021 show online.