In two separate announcements today, Dentsply Sirona indefinitely postponed its major gathering scheduled for Las Vegas this fall and withdrew from the world's largest dental show, the International Dental Show, scheduled for next spring.
Dentsply Sirona World 2020 was scheduled to take place October 1–3, 2020, in Las Vegas. The company has instead made plans to offer an alternative Dentsply Sirona World that restructures the event as a series of local in-person gatherings and global virtual programs.
“The current circumstances prevent an event the size and quality of Dentsply Sirona World to take place in person,” said Senior Vice President Eric Bruno in a statement. “Though we are postponing the event in Las Vegas, the localized in-person programs and the new and expanded virtual event will be packed with the same great content expected of The Ultimate Dental Meeting presented in a new, innovative forum. We are taking a stand that dentistry is essential and that digital dentistry is the future, so we are doubling down on our digital efforts for Dentsply Sirona World and complementing those with localized in-person programming in collaboration with our industry partners.”
The announcement follows a trend of dental conference cancellations and restructurings. The American Dental Association announced in June that it would pursue a virtual event, and smaller shows such as the American Dental Education Association annual conference have been canceled. The largest dental meeting scheduled for this fall, the Greater New York Dental Meeting, has yet to cancel or move to a virtual format.
Dentsply Sirona's announcement to cancel plans for the 2021 International Dental Show signaled a comprehensive effort by the company to restructure its global business in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, the company said, "Current estimates indicate that the expected restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2021 will almost certainly not allow the proximity and depth of consultation that Dentsply Sirona and its customers know and value. In particular, this environment would mean that customer meetings, interactions and consultations would not have their usual quality. Dentsply Sirona also believes that travel conditions will result in significantly fewer national and, especially, international visitors attending the IDS. The company puts the safety of its customers and employees first when making these types of decisions."
The 2021 International Dental Show has not changed its plans for an in-person trade fair, but is planning on making extensive changes to the show experience to assure the health and safety of participants. On the event website, a statement reads, "IDS is going ahead as planned in Cologne from 09 to 13 March 2021. That is our declared objective, and we are rigorously implementing measures to protect everyone involved so that we can achieve it. The health and safety of our exhibitors, visitors and staff are our highest priority."
The statement continues, "As a trade fair with a B2B focus, IDS is fundamentally different to sporting events and public fairs and festivals—a fact we will continue to highlight in our communications with the public and political decision makers. The above-mentioned measures include appropriate hygiene, maintaining sufficient distance between people at all times, and strict guidelines for the processes carried out at entrances, in the halls and at the stands. We are relying on the professional conduct of exhibitors and visitors, we will carry out a full registration of participants, and we will utilise the flexibility and size of our site as well as the opportunities offered by our digital guidance systems."
Zachary Kulsrud is the editorial director for Endeavor Business Media's dental group, publishers of Dental Economics, DentistryIQ, Perio-Implant Advisory, and RDH magazine.
