Organizers of the Calgary International Automotive and Truck Show say the annual event won’t be held in March 2021 due to COVID-19.
The Calgary Motor Dealers Association (CMDA) announced on Wednesday that the difficult decision to cancel the trade show – as well as the 2021 Vehicles and Violins gala — was made at a recent board meeting.
“Due to the uncertainty around COVID-19, it is impossible to forecast where things will stand in terms of the virus by the time the March timing for the show rolls around,” the CMDA said in a news release.
“It is not possible to make the commitments that need to be made to move forward with a show of this statue.”
According to organizers, 2021 will mark the first time in 40 years that the Calgary International Automotive and Truck Show won’t be held, and the first time in over 20 years that the Vehicles and Violins gala won’t go ahead.
“It is an unprecedented time for everyone from both a business and personal perspective,” CMDA executive manager Jim Gillespie said.
“Like everyone else, we are unsure what the landscape will look like a few months from now, so the only responsible decision we could make was to cancel the show and the gala for 2021.”
Gillespie said he was optimistic that the trade show and gala would be back in 2022.
The 2020 Calgary International Automotive and Truck Show was cancelled midway through its run at the direction of Alberta Health Services.