The organizers of Photokina 2020 have finally announced what we expected all along: the 2020 trade show has been cancelled due to public health concerns surrounding the novel coronavirus. The show will not take place again until May 2022.
Despite MWC, then CP+, and now other major expos like them being cancelled due to fears about the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus, the organizers of Photokina 2020 have announced that "there is no reason to cancel at this stage" and that the show will go on as planned.
Formerly disgraced, purchased, and reborn optics company Meyer Optik Görlitz is planning to officially re-enter the world of photography at Photokina 2020 in May, and it'll be bringing six redesigned lenses along for the ride.
Last week, Fuji Rumors reported that Fujifilm would not be attending Photokina 2020, but the report cited no official sources and neither Photokina nor Fujifilm had made any such announcement. Over the past week, PetaPixel was able to confirm this information with official sources from both Photokina and Fujifilm.
Photokina is keen to remind you that (1) it is still the industry's "leading trade fair," and (2) trade fairs are still relevant, even if Nikon, Leica, and Olympus dropped out of Photokina 2020. In a press release published last night, the show quotes Canon, Sony and Panasonic executives as they "confirmed their commitment" to the 2020 expo during conversations with Photokina organizers in Tokyo.
Photokina is still the world's leading imaging expo, but changes to its structure and a struggling industry may be pushing participants away. In a press release published to the expo's website, the trade show's organizer Koelnmesse revealed that Nikon, Leica and Olympus have all chosen to skip Photokina 2020.