Household appliance brand Miele has pulled out of IFA and Kuchenmeile trade events in 2021, citing anticipated restrictions due to COVID-19.

The international exhibition for consumer electronics and household appliance IFA held a Special Edition hybrid edition in 2020, but recently announced a return to a full-scale, real-life show in 2021.

Held in Rodinghausen and targeted at the specialist kitchen retailer, the Kuchenmeile A30 event held open house exhibitions during 2020 with individual appointments, to control visitor flow, and enhanced hygiene measures.

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Commenting on the decision, Frank Juttner, managing director of Miele Germany and responsible for the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) said: “We didn’t take this decision lightly.”

Miele believes the “far-reaching” restrictions “quite rightly” required to prevent the spread of the disease will apply to both events, again, this year.

It suggests this will once again see the registration of individual guests, caps on number of visitors, implementation of social distancing rules, with requirements and limitations on the design and layout of the booth, as well as hospitality.

“Taken together, all this will make the type of personal interaction at the show, which customers are accustomed to from Miele virtually impossible”, Juttner explained.

Compared to previous years, Miele stated the IFA event in Berlin is “likely to attract only a few international visitors”, particularly from countries outside Europe.

Instead, and like last year, Miele will rely on virtual live presentations around the dates of IFA and Kuchenmeile exhibitions.

Juttner concluded: “Miele will naturally be back in 2022, both in Berlin and Rodinghausen – pandemic permitting.”