ATHENS, March 17 (Xinhua) -- The organizers of biennial Posidonia shipping fair in Athens announced on Tuesday that due to the novel coronavirus pandemic the event is postponed from June 1-5 to Oct. 26-30, 2020.
Posidonia is a landmark global event in the shipping industry. It brings together the entire market from all parts of the world, according to its organizers.
Posidonia Exhibitions SA said in an e-mailed statement that considering the growing challenges from the COVID-19 outbreak and the need to protect the health and wellbeing of the event's participants, exhibitors and visitors alike, the decision was made to postpone this summer's Posidonia event in compliance with the guidelines set by the World Health Organization and the Greek government.
The postponement concerns the full event, including all related conferences and sports events.
"Given the uncertainty currently surrounding our original dates, the international character of Posidonia and the pressure our exhibitors and visitors are under in actioning now their travel and logistical arrangements as well as the shipment of their exhibits, we concluded that we could not delay this decision any longer," reads the organizers' statement.
"We have taken this step in consultation with Posidonia's supporting organizations who have confirmed their agreement and support for the October dates," Posidonia Exhibitions SA added.
"We believe that taking action at this time was necessary for the benefit of our exhibitors, our visitors and the exhibition itself," the statement concluded.
