World Touring Exhibitions, a leading producer and provider of travelling exhibitions, has decided not to tour the UK for the majority of 2021.
World Touring Exhibitions has announced that it will not be touring within the UK for the majority of 2021, in response to how the country has handled the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries around the world have reacted to the crisis in different ways, with some prioritising cultural events more than others.
“Unfortunately, the UK is not top of the list as far as wisdom is concerned on how to deal with the event industry during this crisis,” says Corrado Canonici, World Touring Exhibitions’ founder.
“We have been left bottom of the pile. I do not understand why getting drunk in pubs or piling-up in the tube is less dangerous than attending a severely enforced social distanced event.”
The value of cultural events
As the industry begins to reopen and recover in the wake of the pandemic, World Touring Exhibitions has been working hard to adjust its exhibitions, in order to provide safe and entertaining shows and now has several ready to tour once again.
While the company is proving that exhibitions can be toured safely, for instance with its Monsters of the Sea exhibition which is now on a seven-month tour of Ukraine, it feels that the uncertainty that the industry has been left in is dangerous.
“It is mainly because of the uncertainty that we have taken the decision of not planning anything in the UK for the time being,” says Canonici.
“Fortunately our activities always were international and the world is a big place, so our exhibitions already are on the go. Still, it is a big shame seeing how the event industry is treated. As the WeMakeEvents protest has consistently stressed, it does seem like our huge contribution to the UK society and economy is not valued”.
The company was founded in London in 2001, as World Concert Artists, representing legendary ‘70s and crossover artists as well as international shows. In 2010, the company rebranded as World Touring Exhibitions to reflect its new sole focus on exhibitions.
Last month, World Touring Exhibitions also announced the success of its Travelling Bricks exhibition. This has been open to visitors over the summer at the Le Brentelle mall in Padua, Italy. Other international standard exhibitions on offer from the company include Interactive Science, Space Adventure and more. These shows have toured around the world, with stops in the EU, UK, US, Russia and the Middle East.
