Geneva International Motor Show 2020 has been canceled

If you were looking forward to the 2020 Geneva International Motor Show (GIMS), well, be prepared to be disappointed as the event has been canceled. The 90th GIMS was supposed to be open from March 5 to 15 2020, however, the organizers have decided to close the event due to the Coronavirus outbreak. The announcement was done by the Federal Council of Switzerland on February 28, 2020. It states that no events with more than 1,000 people are allowed to take place until March 15, 2020. This was done in order to lower the risk of infection as the spread of the virus still continues to increase.

While the cancelation was done as a precaution it still affects the logistics involved with the show. Not only will the sudden closure affect the organizers and exhibitors it will also affect the members of the public who already bought a ticket. When the organizers were questioned about what they would do to rectify the situation this is what they had to say.

We regret this situation, but the health of all participants is our and our exhibitor’s top priority. This is a case of force majeure and a tremendous loss for the manufacturers who have invested massively in their presence in Geneva. However, we are convinced that they will understand this decision.

Maurice Turrenttini
Chairman of the Foundation Board

Weeks prior to the cancelation, during the press conference runs about the event, the organizers showed no signs that the show would not pull through. Things changed, however, when the first case of the Coronavirus was confirmed in Switzerland on February 25, 2020. The Swiss Federal Council quickly made the decision to cancel the Motorshow in order to decrease the further spread of the virus.

Preparations were already well underway as construction for the booths and stands were nearly complete. But due to the cancellation, another enormous task is needed to disassemble what has already been built.

The sudden halt of the GIMS has sparked financial consequences for both the organizers and exhibitors. The monetary value of all the losses has yet to be quantified but it will be assessed over the coming weeks. One silver lining can be had, however, tickets that have been already purchased for the event will be refunded. No official word has been said if the international motor show will be rescheduled for a new date.