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)

Sharmishta is TechRadar's APAC Managing Editor and loves all things photography, something she discovered while chasing monkeys in the wilds of India (she studied to be a primatologist but has since left monkey business behind). While she's happiest with a camera in her hand, she's also an avid reader and has become a passionate proponent of ereaders, having appeared on Singaporean radio to talk about the convenience of these underrated devices. When she's not testing camera kits or the latest in e-paper tablets, she's discovering the joys and foibles of smart home gizmos. She's also the Australian Managing Editor of Digital Camera World and, if that wasn't enough, she contributes to T3 and Tom's Guide, while also working on two of Future's photography print magazines Down Under.