Prolight + Sound Has Been Cancelled

Frankfurt, Germany (March 13, 2020)—The 2020 edition of the European trade show Prolight + Sound has been cancelled due to the coronavirus. Covering technologies and services relating to entertainment, shows and events, audio-visual systems integration and content creation, PL+S is a key part of the pro-audio/MI industry in Europe.

Yesterday, a general decree was issued for the region by the Hessian Ministry for Social Affairs, prohibiting large-scale events expected to attract more than 1,000 visitors. As a result, said Detlef Brau of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt GmbH., “We firmly believe that, under the current circumstances, this [cancellation] is unavoidable.”

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Originally set to be held March 31 to April, PL+S 2020 announced on March 4 that it would postpone the event to May 26-29 in an effort to keep the show up and running while hoping that the worst of the pandemic would have passed by then. Nonetheless, major pro-audio manufacturers dropped out after the new dates were announced, including Yamaha, Adam Hall Group and d&b audiotechnik, citing logistics concerns.

As it happens, since then, the coronavirus has taken firmer hold of Europe—and indeed the world—and as a result, Messe Frankfurt, the convention’s organizer, announced today, “At the present time, it cannot be assumed that the current situation will have changed by the time the postponed event was to have been held. Therefore, Messe Frankfurt has decided to cancel the event.”

The move, while necessary, will undoubtedly come as a blow not only to the industries that the convention serves, but also the surrounding city. Messe Frankfurt, which not only holds the trade fair but also owns the exhibition site where PL+S is held, employs more than 2,600 people at 30 locations, and the show is an integral part of the organization’s annual sales of around €733 million.

Braun noted, “We did everything we could to hold Prolight + Sound 2020 as soon as possible after the original dates and would like to extend our thanks to the response and support from numerous companies and organizations that said they wanted to join forces with us to do so. We are very sorry to have to cancel the fair.”

With PL+S 2020 scuttled, the next edition is set for April 13-16, 2021.

The rescheduled late-May, 2020 dates would have coincided with this year’s AES European convention, AES Vienna; currently still set for May 25-28, the event has hinted it may be forced to cancel, too.

ProLight+Sound • https://pls.messefrankfurt.com