NUREMBERG, Germany — The European Coatings Show (ECS) has been postponed. Instead of holding ECS 2021 in March next year as planned, Vincentz Network, the organizer of ECS, and NürnbergMesse have rescheduled it for Sept. 14-16, 2021, because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the associated travel restrictions. The European Coatings Conference is scheduled for Sept. 13-14, 2021. The decision came after consultation with exhibitors and industry representatives.

“Even if the specially developed hygiene plan had allowed us to hold the ECS safely at the exhibition venue in spring, we need to look at every exhibition individually,” explained Alexander Mattausch, Director Exhibitions, NürnbergMesse. “The ECS is a global industry gathering. For the previous show in 2019, exhibitors and trade visitors traveled to Nuremberg from more than 120 countries to develop and expand their international business relationships. These relationships are vital for the coatings sector, which is characterized by global supply chains and large, globally networked companies. Unfortunately, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the likelihood that the associated travel restrictions will continue mean we cannot meet this objective for the ECS to the extent we would prefer in March.”

Amanda Beyer, Director Event Management Vincentz Network, shared this assessment: “We did not take this decision lightly. Until recently, everything was pointing to the possibility of successfully holding the European Coatings Show and the partly overlapping European Coatings Conference in March 2021. At the moment, however, the pandemic situation has worsened, and as the organizers we must be true to our responsibilities and also listen to the mood of the paint industry, which had strongly advocated a postponement. The leading exhibition of the coatings industry, in particular, draws its vitality from meetings between people throughout the world. That’s why we are pleased to have found an ideal alternative for our exhibitors and visitors so quickly with this autumn date, and we are looking forward to welcoming them to Nuremberg next September.”