Flashback: FLTA's 2019 award winners

The 26th annual FLTA Awards for Excellence, which had been due to take place on March 21, have officially been postponed in light of the current coronavirus pandemic.

No new date has yet been selected, and the FLTA is monitoring the situation and working closely with those involved to find a suitable time for the awards later in the year.

The association's regional meetings in April, May and June have also been postponed until further notice.

For more than a quarter of a century, the FLTA Awards - also known as the Archies - have been one of the highlights of the materials handling industry calendar, so the decision was not taken lightly.

Announcing the news, chief executive of the FLTA Tim Waples said: "It is with a heavy heart that we have decided to pull the Awards at this late stage, just days before the event was due to take place.

"As the news has evolved over the past fortnight, the Association has had many enquiries as to whether the event would still go ahead, and our apologies go out to anyone affected by this late development.

"While at present there hasn't been a directive from the UK government banning large gatherings, after much discussion, it was deemed in the best interests of everyone involved to move the event to a time when we have more information on the spread of COVID-19 and greater assurance of the safety of those in attendance.

"A lot of hard work and planning had gone into organising the event, and the association is hugely grateful to everyone who has been - or would have been - involved in this year's Archies."

Meanwhile, MHEDA has cancelled its 2020 Convention in Orlando.

An email from the association notes that anyone already registered for the convention will get a full refund of all fees. "Additionally, if they have made a hotel reservation, they should contact the Hilton Bonnet Creek directly at 1-407-597-3600 or go to their website," organisers say.

The cancellation comes just days after MHEDA told members it was closely monitoring the coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic in the lead-up to its May 2 event.

In Germany, Linde's intralogistics industry event, World of Material Handling (WoMH), scheduled to be held in Mannheim this June, has been postponed by one year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"We would like to make a ... contribution to slowing down the spread of the virus," says Christophe Lautray, chief sales and service officer at Linde Material Handling, the main organiser of the event. "The health of our employees, customers and of society as a whole clearly takes priority," he emphasises.

At the industry event, Linde Material Handling and more than 20 other exhibitors (including Dematic) had intended to present innovative products and solutions for the intralogistics sector. "Preparations were already in full swing. Many colleagues have been very committed and have put their heart and soul into the event," says Lautray. "I would like to offer my sincere thanks to all of them - and especially to our partners."

The decision was not taken lightly, he says. "Nevertheless, we quickly agreed that we had to act responsibly in the current situation - and that we wanted to." Lautray continues: "The postponement will help to slow down the spread of the virus and this is the top priority."

A new date has been scheduled for June 2021.

Earlier this month, Linde was among the major forklift companies to withdraw from LogiMAT before the event was officially cancelled.

At the time, Linde chairman Andreas Krinninger said: "Linde Material Handling has stood for the greatest possible safety for decades. The health and well-being of customers and employees is always our top priority."

At a major event such as LogiMAT, he said, one cannot rule out the possibility that visitors to the trade fair or stand crew could become infected with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

When it withdrew from LogiMAT, Linde said the solution portfolio originally planned for that show would be presented to customers instead at WoMH, an event which began after Linde stopped participating in the now-defunct CeMAT show in Hannover.

Back in the UK, the IPAF Summit and IAPAs 2020, scheduled to be held in London, United Kingdom, on April 23 have been postponed until October 8, owing to ongoing concerns over the worldwide coronavirus outbreak. It will be held at the original venue, the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in Kensington, London.

Peter Douglas, CEO and MD of IPAF, says, "While it hasn't yet been confirmed by authorities in the UK that events and meetings such as the IPAF Summit and IAPAs should be cancelled or postponed, event organisers the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) and KHL have jointly taken what we feel is the responsible decision at this time.

"We trust that all event attendees understand why IPAF and KHL have come to this decision; we do hope that those who have already booked to attend will appreciate the clarity and maximum advanced notice we have tried to provide in moving the date."

Anyone who was booked for the event will have their booking honoured on the alternative date; a full refund will be made to anyone unable to attend the rescheduled event or who wishes to cancel attendance at this time.

Additionally, the Antwerp XL show has been postponed until September 15-17.

"Following the news on 10 March that the World Health Organisation revised its classification of COVID-19 to global pandemic status and that the Belgian Government consequently recommended all indoor events (over 1,000 people) should be prohibited, we have been forced to cancel the April 2020 edition of Antwerp XL. We are, however, pleased to announce that a new edition of Antwerp XL will run on 15-17 September at Antwerp Expo," says organiser Easyfairs.

"Given the unforeseeable, unavoidable, unprecedented and global scope of the current situation, it now makes it impossible to organise this edition of Antwerp XL as planned. We apologise to all visitors and exhibitors alike; we know how much everyone was looking forward to the April edition, but the situation is outside of our control," the statement continues.

Separately, attendees are awaiting updates to hear whether a similar event to be held by UniCarriers will proceed in two months' time.

The second UniCarriers Forklift Industry Summit is scheduled for May 11-14 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee.