High End 2020 in Munich cancelled
Corona, or better COVID-19, is currently the predominant topic in the news. Many a major event has already had to announce cancellations, and now the world’s largest hi-fi trade fair in Munich is also being hit. As the High End Society announced, the High End 2020 will not take place in mid-May.
550 exhibitors, 1,500 brands, 21,000 visitors, this is how the High End Society as organizer advertised this year’s High End 2020 show, which traditionally takes place in Munich in mid-May. But this year everything is different. Due to the spreading of the lung disease COVID-19, also known as Corona virus, the High End 2020 is cancelled.
In a first short statement, the High End Society initially announces briefly and concisely:
The HIGH END 2020, planned for May 14th to 17th, has been cancelled due to the current intensified development regarding the spread of the novel corona virus.
Stefan Dreischärf, Managing Director of High End Society Service GmbH
A little later a more detailed statement of the High End Society followed, in which, as expected, the current situation around the coronavirus was once again given as the reason for the cancellation. Now that, in addition to the countries affected in Asia, the number of infections in Europe has also risen rapidly within a few days, the further spread of the pathogen is not foreseeable, according to the organisers. After weighing up all the criteria, High End Society Service GmbH, in close cooperation with the board of directors of High End Society e.V., has therefore decided to cancel the event.
As the organizer of an international trade fair, we therefore feel it is our responsibility to react in good time.
Stefan Dreischärf, Managing Director of High End Society Service GmbH
This is intended to protect the health of all those involved on the one hand and to counteract any possible economic damage to exhibitors on the other.
Of course we very much regret having to take this step. But we take the care of our exhibitors, visitors and employees very seriously.
Stefan Dreischärf, Managing Director of High End Society Service GmbH
Since the rapid spread in China became known in mid-January, the organiser of the world’s largest hi-fi trade fair has been looking into the possible consequences for the exhibition planned for May. Every day the situation was reassessed by observing both the global spread of the coronavirus and the international trade fair events. At the beginning of February, High End Society Service GmbH had already offered the Chinese exhibitors the opportunity to withdraw from their participation in this year’s fair. In recent weeks, the organizer has increasingly received inquiries from other companies as to whether the tense situation will have an impact on the High End 2020.