According to the organisers, Nineteen Group, the feedback across all shows for this September has been understandably mixed, ranging from ‘supportive’ to ‘not sure’ and ‘prefer to postpone’.

Additionally, they say that at the time of their announcement the NEC had not received the authorisation from the Government to open for shows, which it says it needs.

"Without this authorisation and guidance, we cannot commit to September as we are prevented from having sufficient time to ratify exactly what, and how, we can work with the venue and partners to finalise what a Covid-secure event looks like." says the statement released by the Nineteen Group marketing team.

"Ultimately, safety must come above all else. Given this continued uncertainty, we are left with no option other than to postpone allowing us to safely deliver our events.

We are confident that this postponement is in the best interests of all and will give us the best opportunity to deliver top-quality content and the best ROI for all participants.

We love our shows, our sectors, and our team at Nineteen remain committed to going the extra mile for our communities. We will continue with our digital series of events and Connect+ services, uniting buyers with sellers before, during and after our physical events."

With reference to the new scheduled timing for 27th-29th April 2021, visitor registrations will be automatically transferred to the new dates.