Lobbying clears the way for European solar trade show in September

Lobbying of the Dutch government by trade show company Good! Events & Media has paid off, with the authorities separating the Covid-19 protocols applied to conferences from those used for non-trade gatherings such as concerts – clearing the way for the rearranged Solar Solutions International show to go ahead in September.

Subject to a second wave of Covid-19 cases, Solar Solutions and the accompanying Green Heating event will take place in the Dutch city of Haarlem from September 8-10, retaining its usual Tuesday-to-Thursday slot.

The show had originally been planned at the Expo Haarlemmermeer venue in mid March but the arrival of coronavirus in Europe put paid to those plans as the solar industry trade show calendar was ripped up.

The rearranged show is now set to return to Expo Haarlemmermeer with a range of Covid-19-related protocols including a requirement for attendees to book a morning or afternoon time slot. With different-colored badges to be issued for each half-day session, and staff on hand to ensure morning visitors clear the floor in a timely manner, the show could be set to feature some furtive games of dodge-the-marshal, adding to the fun.

“We were the driving force behind ‘veilig to the vakbeurs’ – roughly translated as the ‘safe trade shows initiative’ – a lobbying effort to convince the Dutch government to differentiate between the business event sector and large scale events such as concerts and festivals,” said Peter Groot, MD of Good! Events & Media. “As part of this effort, we helped write the protocol that will be used by the entire Dutch trade show sector to organize trade shows in a safe and responsible manner. As such, we are excellently prepared to implement the protocol for Solar Solutions.”

Expectations

Groot told pv magazine the September show – which Good! is confidently labeling ‘the largest solar trade show in Europe’ – will “have the same floorplan, many of the same seminars and almost all of the same participants,” with the time-slot system evening out the number of visitors during the day to avoid the peak surge experienced around noon at previous events.

The organizers have trailed more than 100 practical seminars and more than 500 innovations, including new solar panels, smart products and storage systems at this year’s event, with Groot adding, a similar number of attendees is expected as would have been anticipated in March.

The accompanying Green Heating show is devoted to sustainable heating, ventilation and air conditioning technology.

This copy was amended on 02/07/20 after the event organizers added more information about the time-slot system.