Aquanor set for \’hybrid\’ show in 2021

The organisers of Aquanor, one of the aquaculture sector’s biggest trade fairs, have announced plans to hold the event next August despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Aquanor 2021 will be a ‘hybrid’ featuring digital and in-person elements.
Kristian Digre, general manager of the Nor-Fishing Foundation, which manages Aquanor, said: “Regardless of the unexpected pandemic, it would be a combination of physical and digital fair in 2021 – that has been our plan since the previous Aqua Nor. Aqua Nor 2021 will be the first hybrid fair.”
Digre said that the concept of a digital platform had already been trialled at Aquanor’s sister show Nor-Fishing in 2020. He added: “The participants [at Nor-Fishing] have given us a lot of good feedback on what they want more of. We take this with us when planning Aqua Nor. Adding a digital platform to the fair will add value for exhibitors who will have more opportunities to profile themselves. It will also make it easier for visitors, who for various reasons cannot physically participate, to see what is happening in Trondheim.
“At the same time, it is important for us to preserve the physical part of the fair as much as practically possible and infection control considerations allow. There is something very special about having a chat or meeting old acquaintances in the entrance hall area.”
If the Covid-19 situation worsens before August, Digre adds, the exhibition will be all-digital.
Aquanor is due to take place in Trondheim, Norway over 24-27 August. Exhibition manager Kari Steinsbø said that two-thirds of the venue’s capacity has already been booked up.