Messe Muenchen South Africa, organisers of analytica Lab Africa, have announced that this event - the only trade fair for laboratory technology, analysis, biotechnology and diagnostics in South Africa - has been cancelled.
The decision was made after consultations with industry stakeholders, and comes amid ongoing bans and restrictions on international travel to and from South Africa.
Suzette Scheepers, CEO of event organisers Messe Muenchen South Africa, says the event, which had been scheduled to take place at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, from November 2 – 4 this year, will not go ahead this year due to uncertainty in the market and ongoing travel restrictions as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa has also recently announced the strengthening of restrictions as the country moves into its 3rd wave of Covid-19 infections. Under these restrictions, all gatherings are limited to 100 people indoors, and 250 people outdoors.
“As a key pan-African industry event, analytica Lab Africa was scheduled to be co-located with IFAT Africa and food & drink technology Africa; a combined and broad-reaching event that traditionally brings together thousands of pan-African and international stakeholders for knowledge sharing and product discovery. However, due to the current circumstances, we concluded that we could not assure our valued sponsors, exhibitors and visitors of the usual levels of international engagement,” she says.
“We thank our partners, exhibitors and the analytica Lab Africa community for their ongoing understanding and support during the challenges of the past year,” she says.