InterTabac Adapts to Pandemic

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the InterTabac and InterSupply trade fairs will take place in the form of an “ITS Hub” this year. Scheduled for Nov. 3-4, 2020, the event will combine elements of a physical event and virtual platform.

“Our event brings together the best of both worlds, reflecting the diversity of the tobacco industry and tobacco production, and merging the advantages of a conventional trade fair and an online event,” said Sabine Loos, managing director of Westfalenhallen Unternehmensgruppe.

According to Loos, the event will feature physical zones where companies can present their products and then move to separate “communication islands” for further discussions or product samples. The physical areas have been designed with partition walls and adequate space to allow for social distancing. In addition, the event will have a stage and a video spot connecting the real world and the digital world.

The central point of contact on the Internet is a digital platform on which visitors aged 18 and over will be able to register and follow the program on site.

“When it comes to the live streaming of the on-stage program and individual product presentations—complete with simultaneous interpreting—we’ll be using tools to enable direct interaction, ensuring everyone has as ‘normal’ a trade fair experience as possible,” said Loos.

“We are also currently preparing offerings such as tobacco product samples that exhibitors and partner organizations will be able to send to verified users’ homes,” said Loos. “This means that one of the signature aspects of InterTabac and InterSupply—smelling, tasting and experiencing the various products—will be preserved even during the current pandemic.”

Access to the online content will be free of charge.

The next regular-format InterTabac and InterSupply shows are scheduled for Sept. 16-18, 2021.