BREAKING NEWS:Top Euro Appliance Show Cancelled Australians Face Difficulty Getting Refunds
Hundreds of Australian appliance industry executives who had pre booked accommodation and discount special airline fares face losing their money after EuroCucina the European kitchen expo, was cancelled due to the Coronavirus.
The show which was scheduled for April 2020 has been rescheduled at this stage to July a peak month for Milan when accommodation costs rise.
This is the show where brands sponsor retailers and media in an effort to showcase new European products for the Australian market.
There is still no certainty that the show will go ahead in July because of an outbreak in Coronavirus deaths in Milan the capital of Lombardy, the province worst affected by Italy’s coronavirus outbreak in Europe.
The virus was discovered last Friday in Codogno, a small town of 15,000 people, when a 38-year-old man known only as “Mattia” tested positive for the virus.
Within days, 150 other cases of the virus were confirmed in Codogno and the surrounding villages, and by the end of the weekend the country was grappling with an outbreak that had infected more than 200 people.
So far, 11 people have died.
Organisers announced the decision in a statement earlier today following an emergency meeting overnight in Milan
“Following an extraordinary meeting today of the Board of Federlegno Arredo Eventi, and in view of the ongoing public health emergency, the decision has been taken to postpone the upcoming edition of the Salone del Mobile,” the statement said.
“Confirmation of the change of date for the trade fair – strongly supported by the Mayor of Milan Giuseppe Sala – means that the manufacturers, in a major show of responsibility, will be able to present their finalised work to an international public that sees the annual appointment with the Salone del Mobile as a benchmark for creativity and design.”
The number of people infected by the virus in Italy has risen sharply in the past few days, with the majority of cases reported in the region of Lombardy, of which Milan is the capital.
“Milan has to carry on”
Salone del Mobile also announced the decision on Twitter, alongside a video message from Milan’s mayor Giuseppe Sala.
“I am calling on our colleagues in the furnishing sector and the Salone del Mobile to pull together to make sure Milan doesn’t grind to a halt,” Sala said in the video. “We need to work objectively to stop this virus spreading, but we must also take care not to spread the virus of distrust.”
“Milan has to carry on,” he continued, before calling on the Italian government to help mitigate the economic damage caused by the postponement and asking hotels not to put off visitors by increasing their prices during the new dates in June.
“I call on the government to intervene and provide some help for a fundamental sector for our economy,” he said. “I am also making a special appeal to our hoteliers. This year we need to be especially careful about how we pitch the price of hotel rooms, because this year will be no ordinary one.”
Italy now has the highest number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Europe and the third-highest in the world after South Korea and China, where the outbreak originated. In total, more than 280 cases have been reported in the country, with over 200 in Lombardy. At present, there have been seven deaths from coronavirus reported in Italy.
In response, the government has declared a state of emergency and quarantined around 50,000 people in towns and villages surrounding Milan.
The spread of the virus has impacted other events in the city, with MIDO, the world’s biggest eyewear fair, also being postponed.
