United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Travel event cancelled due to coronavirus
The organisers of the inaugural IBTM Asia Pacific, due to take place in Singapore in April, have decided to cancel due to the coronavirus.
Instead the event, devoted to the meeting, incentives and events industry, will be held in April 2021.
Reed Travel Exhibitions said the decision was made ~following the latest advice from its partners regarding the coronavirus outbreak and after ‘in-depth discussions’ with customers and hosted buyers from the region and globally.
"This is not a decision we have taken lightly; our customers, partners and team in Singapore have worked incredibly hard on the event and while it is disappointing to postpone, it’s imperative that we prioritise the health and safety of everyone involved," said Shane Hannam, portfolio director, IBTM Events.
"We are extremely grateful for the understanding of our customers, partners and team, and for the strong support we have had since announcing this new addition to our portfolio. We also recognize that business has to continue. With this in mind, over the coming weeks, we will be creating ways of keeping our community connected to support and collaborate and to keep our world moving during this difficult period.
"We are committed to Singapore as a host city and look forward to returning to the region very soon to meet with as many customers and partners as possible."
Other trade shows are stepping up advice and putting measures into place over coronavirus concerns.
The organisers of next week’s Business Travel Show in London and next month’s ITB show in Berlin say they are ‘well prepared’ to deal with cases.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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