In the end, holding Agri-Trade this year was just too steep a hill to climb.
Organizers of the Red Deer equipment expo say even though they felt they could meet provincial guidelines for holding the Nov. 11-13 event they “felt had no choice but to cancel the show.”
The deciding factor was policies restricting travel for potential exhibitors.
“With so many concerns around the current situation with COVID-19, many companies have implemented restricted travel policies,” show manager David Fiddler said in a statement. “With a significant number of companies having to cancel, we felt that the show would not be representative of the Agri-Trade brand.
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“This was not a decision that was made lightly, we left no stone unturned as we were making this decision.”
The initial decision to go ahead reflected a determination to persevere in the face of the pandemic, said Westerner Park CEO Mike Olesen.
“After hundreds of event cancellations over the past six months, we wanted to try everything we could to safely and successfully host Agri-Trade once we were given the green light for trade shows by Alberta Health Services,” said Olesen. “But as we monitor the environment and the ongoing challenges and feedback from exhibitors and stakeholders, we feel that the risks outweigh the reward in pushing forward this year.”
