European steel industry Wire & Tube fair confirmed for December

The steel industry Wire & Tube fair will be going ahead as planned early December, fair operator Messe Düsseldorf said Sept. 15.

The event is due to be held Dec. 7-11 in Düsseldorf, Germany, after already been postponed from March when the pandemic started to hit Germany.

The news comes despite concerns over future pandemic developments raised by market participants and companies such as steelmaker Thyssenkrupp pulling out of the event.

“In a meeting of the European associations acting as conceptual sponsors of the events in Düsseldorf the decision has now been taken that a commitment to the leading trade fairs from their respective sectors of industry is indispensable despite these challenging times,” Messe Düsseldorf said in a statement.

The organizer said that due to travel restrictions they expect a “primarily European character” of the Wire & Tube this year.

German steelmaker Thyssenkrupp announced Sept. 8 that the group would not attend the fair due to infection risks and unforeseeable developments of the pandemic.

There has been growing market chatter over major European mills pondering whether to pull out of this year’s trade show in order to save costs after being hit with cash flow problems and general concerns over travel restrictions and safety.

After the postponement of the Euroblech fair to 2021, Wire & Tube is set to become the only major industry event planned in Europe in 2020. The fair is held every two years and is one of the major trade shows in Europe for the flat and long steel industry. In 2018, the Wire & Tube fair attracted more than 71,000 visitors.

— Laura Varriale