FIBO has announced its 2021 show will be postponed due to increasing concerns in Germany about the scale of COVID-19 infections.
New dates of 24 - 27 June 2021 will replace the current slot from 8 - 11 April 2021.
The organisers have said the postponed date 'improves planning certainty for exhibitors and visitors.'
The organiser of FIBO, Reed Exhibitions Deutschland GmbH, has a new CEO – Benedikt Binder-Krieglstein – whose appointment follows the recent departure of Hans-Joachim Erbel.
Binder-Krieglstein said: "The unclear progress of the pandemic has prompted us to reassess the situation regarding the FIBO schedule. For us, the top priority is to minimise both the health and economic risks for all participants and to avoid unnecessary costs.
"We're confident we'll be able to optimise conditions for a safe event on the re-scheduled summer dates of FIBO 2021, while the availability of vaccines during 2021 also gives us reason for optimism."
FIBO says it is working on hybrid models to 'optimally combine physical components and digital content.'
"We're doing everything we can to get the physical trade show going again in 2021 and assume the situation will have improved from June onwards with regard to legal and economic conditions, such as travel restrictions," said FIBO event director, Silke Frank. "We'll make optimal use of the extended preparation time to stage a safe and successful FIBO 2021 for all participants in the summer of 2021."
FIBO 2021 will be staged in its regular halls at the Koelnmesse, with EuropeActive's European Health & Fitness Forum (EHFF) kicking off proceedings on 23 June.
A new FIBO-Congress on the first and second day of the show will be organised in cooperation with the BSA Academy and the German University for Prevention and Health Management.
HCM editor Liz Terry said: "This is the latest date that would work for FIBO in 2021. Any later in the year and it would clash firstly with summer holidays and then in the autumn with a raft of other postponed events.
"Many exhibitors are in the routine of needing to achieve sales within the same financial year as events they have invested in and a mid-year date still leaves some trading time to do this, making it a more sensible proposition for exhibitors.
"In addition, this nudging of the date, creates a ten-month window until the next event, meaning the 2022 event could revert to its customary slot in the spring, without untoward disruption.
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