Photokina 2020 postponed two whole years due to Covid-19

Photokina 2020
(Image credit: Photokina)

With the world gripped by the coronavirus pandemic, it's no surprise that all major events around the world are getting canceled. That includes Apple's WWDC and E3.

The world’s biggest photography trade show is now no exception, with Photokina announcing that its May 2020 event to be held in Germany is being shuttered.

However, instead of postponing the show for a few months or moving it to next year, event organizer Koelnmesse GmbH says the next instalment of Photokina will only take place in May 2022.

This announcement comes only three weeks after Photokina organizers said everything would go on as per schedule, but growing health concerns have prompted Koelnmesse GmbH to cancel all events that it organizes at least until June 2020.

According to Photokina's announcement, the decision to move the event by two years was made keeping "several factors" in mind, including the fact that the imaging market has already been struggling for a while, long before the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

"Added to this," the statement reads, "is the fact that our customers’ resources are already under heavy strain in 2021 – as a result of general economic trends as well as rescheduled events on the global trade fair calendar."

Photokina will next take place in Cologne from 18-21 May 2022, and tickets for the canceled 2020 show will be refunded in the coming weeks.

Sharmishta Sarkar
Managing Editor (APAC)

While she's happiest with a camera in her hand, Sharmishta's main priority is being TechRadar's APAC Managing Editor, looking after the day-to-day functioning of the Australian, New Zealand and Singapore editions of the site, steering everything from news and reviews to ecommerce content like deals and coupon codes. While she loves reviewing cameras and lenses when she can, she's also an avid reader and has become quite the expert on ereaders and E Ink writing tablets, having appeared on Singaporean radio to talk about these underrated devices. Other than her duties at TechRadar, she's also the Managing Editor of the Australian edition of Digital Camera World, and writes for Tom's Guide and T3.