Here we go again.
As a rule of thumb, the larger an event is, the longer in advance it needs to consider whether to proceed or not in an era of government-imposed covid restrictions.
The Olympic Games might need to make a decision a year ahead while a small business conference can be given the green or red light with a week to go.
Somewhere in between is Inhorgenta, Munich’s excellent jewelry and watch fair, which is scheduled to take place from February 11 to 14, just two months from now.
And today one of its biggest watch exhibitors, Casio, pulled out in anticipation that covid restrictions make it unviable.
“In view of the persistently high Covid incidence figures in Germany, Austria and other neighboring European countries and the very unclear development prospects for the coming weeks, we are forced to refrain from participating in events of this magnitude,” explains Marc Czemper, division manager for watches at Casio Europe, the step. “Safety and health are our top priorities.”
Inhorgenta has taken on greater significance since Baselworld cancelled its 2022 show, leaving it as continental Europe’s largest watch and jewelry show.
WATCHPRO is in the planning phase for a global trade show called Festival of Time in London, which will overlap with the end of Watches and Wonders Geneva in April.
If Inhorgenta postpones, as it did in 2021, questions will be raised about Watches and Wonders, in particular whether retailers will fly in from across the world.
Festival of Time, in its first year, will be a much more boutique event, and flexible enough to adapt if there are still moderate restrictions in place in the UK. It is likely to proceed as a physical event, even if Watches and Wonders is postponed again.