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Hong Kong Exhibitors go home

April 2003




Hong Kong Exhibitors Go Home

By Keith Strandberg and Nessa Keogh
www.nationaljeweler.com

After much discussion and communication with the Swiss Federal Council and the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, the BaselWorld show management has decided to adhere to the directive of April 1 that prohibits residents of four countries-Hong Kong, China, Singapore and Vietnam-from working in exhibition booths at the BaselWorld show in both Zurich and Basel. This effectively shuts down the pavilions for those four countries in Zurich and also impacts some exhibitors at the Basel show.

“This is a situation of crisis,” said Rene Kamm, CEO of MCH Swiss Exhibition Limited. “It's a very difficult situation. We all deeply regret what happened here. We are on the side of our exhibitors, but we have to comply with the directive. The health of the public is the overriding concern.”

The show management received a new proposal from the Swiss Federal Council and the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health, outlining precautionary measures that would have enabled these exhibitors to continue at the show. These measures, however, were deemed impossible to implement to all 5,000-plus involved personnel in a timely and efficient manner. They included: A full daily health check by a qualified medical practitioner before entering the show sites; daily certification of having passed the required medical inspection to be worn by each individual; masks to be worn and changed every four hours while on the show locations; daily disinfection of all display items and products; and all instructions to be communicated in the individual's native language.

The onus for implementation of all the measures (and there was no guarantee that these were to be the final measures) was to have fallen on the show management, a responsibility Kamm said that they were unable to bear.

“We have looked at every possible way of carrying out these new instructions and have realized that the level of responsibility to organize and ensure that these measures are correctly applied is totally unrealistic and impractical,” Kamm explained. “We realize that this decision has a massive impact on the exhibitors and personnel concerned, for which we deeply regret, but we have no other choice.”

Interestingly, the directive from the Swiss Federal Council and the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health does not prohibit residents of these four countries from entering the country, nor does it stop them from attending the show as visitors.

“The directive doesn't stop them from doing business here in Basel or in Zurich; they just can't do business in the BaselWorld halls,” Kamm clarified. “They don't have to leave the country, and they are welcomed as visitors to the BaselWorld show.”

However, like battle-weary troops with nothing left to fight for, the Hong Kong exhibitors at Zurich made the decision on Thursday to leave the show and head for home. The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) urged its members to leave the show after the announcement by the show management. A BaselWorld spokesman said that at least two more days would be required before certain “technicalities” could be put in place, as set out by the Swiss government and health officials, regarding the fate of the named exhibitors.

Frederick Lam, president of the HKTDC, said the decision to wait for two more days was “totally unacceptable.” Expressing his strong disappointment with the turn of events, he said: “The authorities have left us no alternative other than to withdraw from the fair. We will proceed with legal proceedings against the authorities here for damages. We must do the right thing. There is no point in arguing.”

He then urged the Hong Kong exhibitors to go home and promised to begin making arrangements to facilitate their departure. He warned that any Hong Kong exhibitor planning to stay on should not attempt to operate their booths, although it looked as though a mass exodus was the most likely outcome.

Patrick Luk, chairman of the Hong Kong Jewelry Manufacturers' Association (HKJMA), said it was important to stress how hard the HKTDC had tried to accommodate the wishes of both BaselWorld management and the Swiss government.

“Sunday is too late,” he said. “The first few days of the show are the busiest and there is no point being here if we can't do business.”

Stanley Lau, HKJMA president, added: “I am saddened by the decision handed down by Switzerland in this matter.”

Source: www.nationaljeweler.com
April 2003