It’s Happened: Baselworld 2021 Is Officially Canceled

Baselworld 2021 has officially been canceled. Originally scheduled to be held in Basel April 30 – May 5 2020, the show was rescheduled to January 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic but has now been canceled altogether.

It’s been a tumultuous few months for the MCH Group, the organizers behind Baselworld, the worlds longest running watch & jewelry tradeshow. Like many other events around the world, Baselworld was forced to cancel for the first time since World War 1 after the Swiss government banned large gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The MCH Group was left figuring out the best way forward.

Initially organizers said the event to be held April 30 – May 5 2020 would be re-scheduled to January 2021 however this date did not work for many of the exhibitors and resulting disagreements regarding exhibitor refunds ensued for companies that did not want their fees transferred over to the new show.

This was the final nail in the coffin for brands like Rolex and Patek Philippe, Chanel, Chopard, and Tudor who all made the decision to leave Baselworld mid-April and either host their own event or exhibit at Watches & Wonders in Geneva next. It wasn’t much later before LVMH Group’s stable of watch brands including Tag Heuer, Hublot and Zenith came to the same conclusion.

However, in a newly released statement by the MCH Group, organizers have been able to reach an agreement with the exhibitors regarding the refunds of the canceled Baselworld 2020, largely thanks to watchmakers like Rolex and Patek Philippe who have offered to accept a lower refund to help ensure more of the resources flow to the smaller watchmakers in these difficult trading times.

“I welcome the constructive attitude of the representatives of the MCH Group, which has enabled us to find a balanced solution,” says Hubert J. du Plessix, president of the Swiss Exhibitors’ Committee and director of Rolex. “I would also like to thank Patek Philippe, Rolex, Tudor, Chanel, Chopard, Hublot, Zenith and Tag Heuer, who, in a spirit of solidarity with the sector as a whole, have agreed to a lower refund so that the other exhibitors can benefit from better conditions.”

Bernd Stadlwieser, CEO of the MCH Group, added: “We are pleased to have worked together and, in just a short time, found a solution that is acceptable to everyone. In the light of the large loss of revenue due to COVID-19 and our responsibility to all our stakeholder groups, this solution marks the limit of what is possible for us. With the amicable settlement for Baselworld 2020, we can now concentrate fully on the future.”

Although it has been announced that Baselworld 2021 will no longer be held, MCH Group is still in discussion with exhibitors and visitors to determine a new direction moving forward so it remains to be seen if and how Baselworld will reinvent itself with Michel Loris-Melikoff, Managing Director of Baselworld closing with “We will be taking a decision on possible follow-up formats by the summer and will then provide information on the new concept and scheduling.”