7:22 am, June 30, 2020
The Geneva Motor Show 2021 has been cancelled and the organisers are looking to package it up and sell it on as they reel from the losses of this year’s event.
In a statement issued last night, the Committee and Council of the Foundation of the Salon International de l’Automobile said they had ‘decided not to organise an event in 2021’.
In February, the organisers were forced to call off this year’s event just days before it was due to open its doors to visitors from across the world due to the growing coronavirus crisis.
The statement said: ‘Due to the financial consequences of the cancellation of GIMS 2020 by the Federal Council for reasons of force majeure as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the foundation responsible for organising the event has had to make some important decisions regarding the future of GIMS today.
‘The committee and the foundation board have decided not to organise an event in 2021.
‘A majority of GIMS exhibitors who took part in a survey, stated that they would probably not participate in a 2021 edition in and that they would prefer to have a GIMS in 2022.’
Car manufacturers have scaled back from motor shows as they look to slash costs in the wake of the crisis and while the Geneva show organisers hope to bring it back after a two-year hiatus, by then its likely the appetite for motor shows may have waned.
Car makers are increasingly using innovative digital solutions to launch their cars to the press and public and the huge expense of a motor show may have already become a thing of the past.
The foundation is hoping to sell the show to Palexpo, the firm behind the exhibition halls where the show is hosted.
The organisers also decided to turn down a loan from the Swiss government.
They did not agree with terms that dictated they must put on a show in 2021 and start making repayments in June next year, before, they believe, they would start generating income.
The statement added: ‘The foundation has decided in favour of the sale of GIMS to Palexpo SA.
‘The aim is to find a solution that will ensure the regular organisation of an international motor show in Geneva. The purchase of the assets would transfer all rights to the organisation of GIMS to Palexpo SA.’
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