Fespa’s flagship event, alongside co-located events, European Sign Expo and Sportswear Pro, had been due to take place at the IFEMA Madrid from 24 to 27 March 2020. The events will now take place at the same venue on 6-8 October 2020.

The rescheduled shows have been shortened to three days from the usual four.

In a statement, chief executive Neil Felton said: “Despite the ongoing impact that the coronavirus is having on the speciality print sector, we’ve been overwhelmed by the strong demand from our global community.

“Therefore, we are extremely pleased to confirm that our shows will be going ahead on these rescheduled dates and we’re very grateful to [the] IFEMA team, who have been fully supportive of our decision under the extraordinary circumstances.”

In his statement, Felton also thanked exhibitors for their support since it announced the postponement of next week’s event, which preempted the Spanish government's decision to suspend large events and close hotels in Madrid next week.

“Throughout this difficult time, we remain in close dialogue and consultation with our exhibitors to establish how Fespa is able to best support their 2020 product launches, engage with existing customers and nurture new prospects in the speciality print sector to fuel their future growth.”

He added that Fespa will provide further updates on the rescheduled events in due course.