Basel Show HourUniverse Postponed

RAPAPORT... HourUniverse, the successor to Baselworld, has been postponed until the summer due to continued uncertainty over Covid-19, the show organizers said Monday in a letter to exhibitors.This year's event will take place "a few months" later than the April dates for which MCH Group had been planning, the company noted. It has not given specific timing.MCH, which owned the defunct Baselworld watch and jewelry show, unveiled HourUniverse in July last year. It has presented it as a hybrid digital and physical event that would feature online networking all year round, in addition to an annual live event at Messe Basel, the traditional Baselworld venue. The 2021 fair had been due to take place from April 8 to 12."The demand of the wider community for a major annual gathering in Switzerland, at the heart of Europe, is today stronger than ever," according to the letter, seen by Rapaport News. This "strengthened our resolve to hold the show this year, but simply postponing it by a few months. Given the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, we believe this is the right decision."The final Baselworld took place in 2019. The pandemic forced the cancellation of the 2020 show, while a dispute with exhibitors over refunds led to major exhibitors pulling out of the 2021 event, which MCH ultimately abandoned.The outlook for trade shows in 2021 is still unclear. The diamond and jewelry fairs scheduled for March in Hong Kong were recently pushed back to July. Meanwhile, JCK Las Vegas attendees still await news on whether that event will take place this June.Image: An artist's impression of the HourUniverse show. (MCHGroup)