Organisers cancel 2021 edition of the Geneva International Motor Show

The event attracts more than 600,000 car enthusiasts each year. © Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

Switzerland’s largest public event will not be held in 2021 due to a reluctance by the majority of exhibitors to take part.  

A survey of exhibitors from the automotive industry found that most would prefer postponing the event to 2022 due to Covid-19 concerns.  

“The automotive sector is currently going through a difficult phase, and exhibitors need time to recover from the effects of the pandemic. Furthermore, it is far from certain that the current health situation would permit the organisation of an event attracting more than 600,000 visitors and 10,000 journalists next spring,” the organisers said on Monday.  

Negotiations with the canton of Geneva for financial support to cover the losses of the cancellation of the 2020 event also fell through. The authorities had approved a CHF16.8 million ($17.6 million) loan but the terms were not acceptable to the motor show organisers. Two major stumbling blocks were the insistence on holding the 2021 edition and the repayment of CHF1 million by mid-2021.  

Instead the organisers have decided to sell the Geneva International Motor Show to Palexpo – the company that owns the exhibition hall.