Baselworld Replies...

[enjoythemusic]

As a member of the press, i wrote to Baselworld asking about their refund policy / show and received a prompt reply as seen below:


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Baselworld is offering unprecedented conditions, which go far beyond contractual obligations (general terms and conditions) and are much more generous than the vast majority of similar European shows that had to be cancelled or postponed.

The proposal to carry forward 85% of the fees to the next fair in January 2021 is already very generous. In such a situation, we did not want to apply our general terms and conditions rigidly. If all exhibitors accepted this option, at most a third of the accumulated costs of around CHF 18 million would be covered. This means that "Baselworld" itself would also have to bear a large loss.

We have therefore proposed two solutions, the first of which we believe to be the best, as it allows exhibitors to carry forward 85% of the amounts invested to the next edition. And we keep only 15% to partially cover our costs. In the second solution, exhibitors receive 30% of their advance payments in cash, while 40% is carried forward to 2021 and the remaining 30% is used to cover MCH's costs]. We thought we had a solution that not only allows our customers to lose a minimum of money but also secures the future of Baselworld. In addition, if a large majority chooses option 1, this will enable us to support smaller exhibitors in difficulty in order to ensure their participation in 2021.

For the director of Baselworld, Michel Loris-Melikoff, it is impossible to pay back the full amount, because that would jeopardize Baselworld. Yet after such an annus horibilis, the industry will need a platform to sell its products. So Michel Loris-Melikoff’s responsibility is to ensure its sustainability.

The fact that the costs are so high has to do with the fact that the exhibition should have taken place at the end of April. This meant that only the last two months of preparation could be saved.

Last year, MCH invested more than ten million in the new Baselworld model despite the complicated financial situation for the reasons mentioned in your question. This year we have put back just under ten million. At the same time, we reduced the price of the square metres of stand space and thus lost turnover. I believe that by going well beyond the general conditions, both proposals are, in the current context of Baselworld, more than correct.

Our responsibility to the industry is to take all the right measures to ensure that MCH can continue to function well through this crisis, and consequently to be able to continue to organise Baselworld.

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