24.02.2021

APEX cancelled

International powered access show APEX and International Rental Exhibition (IRE), which were due to have been held alongside each other in Maastricht, the Netherlands on 15th-17th June this year, have been cancelled.

The shows were originally scheduled for June 2020, and then postponed until last September, before moving to this June. The organisers are now focusing on the 2023 event which was already scheduled.

A statement from the organisers said: “The decision to cancel APEX and IRE has been taken after consultation with authorities in the Netherlands and the MECC venue in Maastricht, as well as informal discussions with exhibitors, and in light of the ongoing impact of the health pandemic. Both shows were originally scheduled for summer 2020, before being delayed to September last year and then June 15-17, 2021.”

The European Rental Association (ERA) convention, which was also due to take place on the 16th-17th June alongside IRE and APEX, will still be held, either as an online or hybrid conference. The European Rental Awards will be held on 16th June in the same format as the ERA convention.

Tony Kenter, managing director of organisers IPI, said: “It is of course with enormous regret that we take this decision. We are pleased to see the vaccination programmes being implemented around the world, but given the current lockdowns, and with no guarantees on when travel and event restrictions will be lifted, we were left with little choice but to cancel."

“We thank all the APEX and IRE exhibitors and our association partners ERA and IPAF for their cooperation and patience over the past year. We now look forward positively to an improving economic situation in the coming months and years, and in confidence that APEX and IRE will return successfully in 2023.”

James King, chief executive of KHL, added: “Taking the decision now, well in advance of the June dates, will give exhibitors and visitors certainty in their planning. No exhibition organiser wants to cancel a show, but it is the right thing to do. We will come back with strong APEX and IRE events in 2023.”

The move follows the decision taken yesterday to postpone Vertikal Days, from May until September - see: Vertikal Days moves to September.