In a letter to stakeholders, Chris Edwards, Event Director, said, "We know how important our events are as a forum where our communities come together to learn, network and meet suppliers. Our focus over the last three months has been on ensuring that we can provide a safe and secure environment for our visitors and whilst we felt confident of achieving this we also have a duty to provide an event that matches the high standards that customers expect of us. Additionally, these events have strong international participation, and this would be severely compromised given the current restrictions."

"After carefully considering the options and following discussions with exhibitors and event partners it became clear that postponement is the most sensible option."

In the letter he explained that they welcomed many thousands of industry colleagues during the Digital Week that they held in May in place of the original physical event, and that the company is continuing to develop its online platforms to offer additional ways of connecting with the wider industry, using both existing platforms and several new initiatives due to launch later this year.

"As each of our communities look to rebuild and recover in 2021 our team will also be working hard to ensure we return next year with an event that brings people back together for the reunion everyone will be crying out for. Details on how our events will continue to evolve and develop for next year will be forthcoming over the summer."