The MCH Group appreciates the measures presented by the Federal Council on 26.05.2021 for the financial support and staging of major events such as trade fairs and exhibitions. The financial “protective umbrella”, which has now been figured out in detail and under which the federal government and the cantons are to cover a substantial proportion of the costs incurred if an event has to be cancelled at short notice for epidemiological reasons, is an important contribution to the necessary planning security and risk reduction for exhibition organisers. Thanks to the extension of the group of beneficiaries to include companies in which the public sector has a maximum holding of 50%, the precondition has been created at federal level for the MCH Group also to be able to come under this umbrella if necessary.
The MCH Group also appreciates the approval criteria for major events and the gradual increases in the possible number of visitors. From 20 August 2021, for example, an upper visitor limit of one person per 4 sqmspace is to be possible for trade fairs and exhibitions open to the public with a Covid certificate.
With its decisions, the Federal Council has created important conditions for the resumption of business activities in the exhibition and event industry, if the epidemiological situation permits. It has followed the main concerns of the industry associations, for which various politicians – notably, for example, Eva Herzog, the representative of Basel-Stadt in the Council of States – have also campaigned with great commitment.
“We are pleased that the Federal Council has still made decisive corrections to the original draft ordinance as a result of the arguments and proposals put forward during the parliamentary debate,” explains Beat Zwahlen, CEO of the MCH Group. “It has now laid a solid foundation for the fact that it will once again be possible to stage major exhibitions and events in Switzerland and thus to ramp up our business activities. We are confident that the further political and official decisions that are still necessary at federal and cantonal level will support this chosen path.”
