The Expo Real Hybrid Summit, a physical and digital event planned to replace the regular Expo Real conference in October, has been cancelled by the organisers.
The two-day summit was due to take place in Munich on 14-15 October.
In a statement, Messe München said that the last-minute cancellation was due to the 'worsening Covid-19 situation', noting that the German Robert Koch-Institute (RKI) had classified Munich and other cities and administrative districts in Germany as risk areas as of 12 October.
The cancellation includes both the physical and the digital part of the event. 'Since both formats of the Hybrid Summit are interlinked and mutually dependent, even a purely digital event would not have made sense under these circumstances,' the statement said, adding that numerous participants had already decided not to attend.
Justifying the late decision, the organisers noted that 'the situation in Germany and other European countries has worsened dramatically in recent days and hours'.
Klaus Dittrich, chairman and CEO of Messe München, said: 'The decision is, of course, a tough one, but it is to protect our customers.
'According to current developments, the Expo Real Hybrid Summit would not have become a meeting place for the real estate industry and would therefore not have met its own claims. Moreover, under these circumstances, the event would have disappointed the customers’ expectations.'
Messe München said it would reimburse participation fees paid by exhibitors, and any tickets sold.
