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Canadian Western Agribition (CWA) has postponed its 50th show until 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“This was a difficult decision to make, but the health and safety of our exhibitors, sponsors, volunteers, partners, and guests is priority,” said CWA President Chris Lees in a statement issued Wednesday morning.
“We owe it to everyone connected to Agribition to make the best decisions we can, even when they’re the hardest ones to make.”
Back in April, CWA published an open letter saying that the show would happen.
In its 49-year history, Agribition has never missed a show which made the announcement difficult for CEO Chris Lane.
“But we have already started making sure that CWA’s year-round work continues and we showcase Canadian agriculture to the community and to the world,” Lane said in a news release.
CWA says it will work to create “new digital experiences for exhibitors, international buyers, and students. Work on mentorship, international market development, education, and scholarships will also continue through 2020.”
CWA CEO Chris Lane said it was a difficult decision, but one they needed to make. He cited the large gathering sizes needed to run the event as a major reason they had to call it off.
“During Agribition week, even before the doors open, we’ve got almost 2000 people on the ground between volunteers, staff and exhibitors. That’s before any guests arrive,” he explained.
“We had been pretty optimistic and pretty hopeful earlier in the year, but with the kind of signals we were getting from public health officials, it started to look less and less likely that we were going to be able to have an Agribition.”
Agribition’s 50th show will now take place from Nov. 22-27 next year.