IPAF confirms there will be no Europlatform 2021 event

There will be no Europlatform conference this year, owing to ongoing uncertainty around international travel and large gatherings during the coronavirus pandemic, event host the International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) has confirmed.  

Peter Douglas, CEO & MD of IPAF, comments: “While Europlatform is traditionally held in the autumn, arranging the event, including booking a venue, hotel accommodation, inviting speakers and organising event staff and travel for everyone involved must be done well in advance.

“We are just not a point in the pandemic where we understand what restrictions might be in place in Europe later this year, so along with event media partners Access International we have made this difficult decision to give maximum clarity to everyone.

“We are obviously very disappointed that we have had to take the step of holding the event over until next year, but we felt it is the right thing to do and we hope anyone who usually attends Europe’s premier symposium on all matters relating to powered access will understand and appreciate why we have arrived at this decision.

“We did consider holding a virtual event instead, but after some deliberation we’ve decided to concentrate all efforts on planning future in-person events such as the IPAF Summit & IAPAs in London and other physical exhibitions and conferences in 2022.

“We hope that by then that the global roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines will be well enough advanced that the pandemic is well and truly behind us and that everyone can plan with confidence to travel, meet and network at in-person industry events hosted by IPAF and others.”