One of the world’s major maritime events, the biannual Posidonia which was set to take place in October this year has been cancelled as a result of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic crisis.
Originally planned for June this year, Posidonia’s usual slot, the global crisis that has engulfed economies was delayed until October, but now the organisers have had to admit defeat and cancel the event altogether. Many similar events, including the hugely popular Transpacific Maritime Conference in early March, met the same fate.
A statement from the Posidonia exhibition said, “We have reached this difficult decision following close consultation with many exhibitors and with our shipping community stakeholders, after assessing the current state of Covid-19 in countries around the world.”
Uncertainty over whether there will be a second wave of infections along with the “complexities of international travel” and the movement of exhibits have posed major challenges for organisers.
A unique characteristic of Posidonia is “the opportunities it provides to meet, interact and socialise in and around the exhibition and enjoy the hospitality, energy and fun that surround our event,” said a Posidonia statement.
The organisation went on to say, “We are embarking on our preparations for the next Posidonia in June 2022 with optimism and the confidence that well before then we will have entered a world with Covid-19 under control.”