The organizers of one of the world’s largest boat show in Düsseldorf have rescheduled the event to January 2023 due to the rapid spread of a new strain of the Omicron virus across Europe. The state government of North Rhine-Westphalia has banned large events with a large number of spectators, including major exhibitions that attract participants from all over the world. The Minister of Health of North Rhine-Westphalia, Josef Laumann, explained that the nature of the new strain is not yet fully understood, but it is spreading at a high speed. Similarly, a similar exhibition was not held in 2021 due to the Covid 19 virus.
The Lord Mayor of Düsseldorf, Dr. Stefan Keller, supported the government’s decision to ban large events with spectators, including the boat show. Initially, he hoped that the exhibition could be held with strict hygienic measures to protect against Covid 19. However, as the virus continued to spread rapidly, he agreed with the management of Messe Dusseldorf to be cautious and prepared for the potential cancellation of the boat show.
Wolfram N. Diener, the CEO of Messe Dusseldorf, informed participants, partners, and other interested parties about the rescheduling of the event due to the difficult epidemiological situation. He expressed his gratitude for everyone’s support and understanding and confidently stated that the Boot Dusseldorf team would open the doors of pavilions and exhibition halls from 21 to 29 January 2023 after the pandemic crisis had been overcome.
