VIRUS: Top Italian construction expos postponed to October
VERONA (Italy), March 14, 2020
Samoter and Asphaltica, the two major trade shows being held in Verona, Italy, dedicated to construction equipment and the bitumen and road infrastructure, have been postponed to October due to the current issues surrounding the coronavirus.
Earlier scheduled to be held on March 21, Samoter was moved to the May 16-20 slot along with its co-located events, Asphaltica, the road infrastructure event and ICCX Southern Europe, exhibition-conference for concrete prefabrication, said the organiser Veronafiere.
These expos will now be jointly held in Verona from October 21 to 25 alongside Oil&nonOil, the energy, fuel and mobility services trade fair, it added.
According to Veronafiere, the decision was taken in view of the emergency situation prevailing in Italy.
The latest decree of the President of the Council of Ministers dated March 11 imposes a blockade until March 25 on all activities that do not involve ensuring essential services.
The October dates are also the best option as regards the seasonal work needs of the reference supply chains, which are concentrated in Summer, said the statement from Veronafiere.
Veronafiere's CEO Giovanni Mantovani said: "We continue to monitor the scenario, together with the steering committee involving companies, partners and associations such as Unacea (Italian Construction Equipment Association) and Siteb (Italian Bitumen Asphalt Roads Association) which co-organizes Asphaltica with us."
"This decision was shared and supported by companies and reference associations; there is trust in our trade fairs as tools for overcoming the crisis," he noted
Mantovani pointed out that the latest postponement agreed upon was consequently the result of market feedback and careful assessments.
"We took into account the need to ensure safety in health terms and safeguard the important investments planned by companies taking part," he noted.
Welcoming the decision, Unacea President Mirco Risi said: "Faced by an emergency that is having a dramatic impact on the economy, we appreciate Veronafiere's capacity for reaction and the repositioning in October."
"The new dates respect the seasonal nature of the construction machinery sector and will enable us to focus on starting up the entire sector again," observed Risi. TradeArabia News Service
