Prowein 2021 extended to five days due to Covid-19

Organisers of drinks trade show ProWein have added an extra two days to the annual show next year to accommodate new health and safety procedures brought on by the pandemic.

The show will now run from Friday 19 March, until Tuesday 23 March 2021, with a maximum of 10,000 visitors at the trade show on each day.

This is alongside new rules announced earlier this year such as mandatory mask wearing, one-way systems and banning exhibitor parties at the drinks show.

Extending the running time “guarantees compliance with one of the key safety requirements”, a spokesperson said in a statement.

ProWein, which takes place in the German city of Düsseldorf, was cancelled in March this year, two weeks before it was due to take place, as coronavirus cases started to rise in Europe and a lockdown in Germany became highly likely.

As a result Messe Düsseldorf, the exhibition space where ProWein is hosted, has had to adapt its procedures in order to survive amid curfews, two-metre rules and increased hygiene procedures.

Last month, the exhibition space hosted its first show since lockdown lifted in Germany, a week-long trade fair dedicated to the motorhome sector.

“With Caravan Salon, the leading international caravanning trade fair only held in early September, we have proven just how important and at the same time successful trade fairs are even in Corona times,” Erhard Wienkamp, managing director operative Trade Fair Business at Messe Düsseldorf, said:

“It was the first trade fair across all of Germany after the lockdown proving an important step towards normality in business life. The know-how acquired there can now be leveraged fully for the benefit of the international wine and spirits sector at ProWein – in the interest of our customers, exhibitors and visitors. Even under the new circumstances very good economic results can be achieved.”

The business has put together a new strategy called PROTaction Messe Düsseldorf to find a new way to operate in a pandemic, using Caravan Salon as a template for future shows.

During ProWein like at Caravan Salon, trade fair employees, (“PROTaction Guides”), will tour the halls and monitor compliance with social distancing and other rules.

Anyone wishing to attend with be issued a digital one-day ticket to ensure only 10,000 enter the centre on any of the five days.

The spokesperson added that there will be “attested solutions at hand” for organising tastings at ProWein exhibitor stands.

There will be regularly updated replies to questions concerning hygiene measures on the ProWein website.