Sportswear Pro will no longer take place in Madrid in October 2020, due to the continued public health risks and business disruption caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic.

FESPA will now host its next flagship international event at the RAI Exhibition Centre in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, from 9-12 March 2021, again co-locating FESPA Global Print Expo, European Sign Expo and Sportswear Pro.

FESPA CEO Neil Felton explains: “In March 2020 we took the decision to delay Sportswear Pro by six months in the face of the advancing pandemic and its implications for our exhibitors and visitors. Since then the development of COVID-19 has been dynamic and unpredictable. While many regions are now gradually emerging from lockdown, at this point in time we cannot be confident that we could match exhibitor and visitor expectations of a FESPA event if we were to go ahead in October this year.”

He continues: “Early March 2021 offers the strongest alternative, giving our exhibitors and visitors time to recover and ourselves time to prepare fully for any new operational requirements. Feedback from the market indicates that, having faced the considerable commercial challenges of 2020, our community will welcome Sportswear Pro in March 2021 as an important platform for business recovery and forward progress early next year.”

Amsterdam is a popular and proven destination city for FESPA events, having played host to successful exhibitions in 2006, 2009 and 2016. Its accessibility via road and rail from so many areas of northern and central Europe will be an advantage for many visitors at this time.

This new March 2021 edition of FESPA Global Print Expo will replace the originally scheduled 2021 event in Munich, Germany. FESPA will return to Munich in 2022.