This morning sees the start of the Interphex New York 2010. Already last night we heard reports of exhibitors having trouble manning booths as company executives from The Netherlands and Germany cannot make the trip.
New York press has also reported stranded European travelers, especially young people, running out of money as they wait for trans-Atlantic flights to open up again so they can head home. Imagine budgeting for a vacation only to find you have to stay an extra week or two! Will this affect traffic at the show? I will report back tonight and let you know if Mother Nature has dealt a blow to the pharmaceutical processing market's economic recovery.
Meanwhile, attendance at Hannover Messe 2010 in Germany this week could be poor due to the many flight cancellations (Our own "On The Edge" automation blogger Keith Campbell has thrown in the towel as his flight was officially cancelled yesterday). This global show, held every three years, has caused much stress among world-traveling business people as mixed reports of the danger of ash clouds to jet engines continue to circulate on television and the Internet.
A press release issued just prior to the April 19-23 Hannover fair addressed the issue, saying, “Despite considerable obstacles in international aviation, Hannover Messe 2010 will take place as scheduled.”
“We will respond with a comprehensive package of measures and make every effort to limit the impact on exhibitors and visitors,” said Dr. Wolfram von Fritsch, CEO of Deutsche Messe AG. Busses to transport passengers from major European airports to Hannover were arranged, as were busses with exhibitors from Turkey.
