The Lifting Equipment Engineers Association (LEEA) has announced the postponement of its flagship event, LiftEx Bahrain, to March next year amid global uncertainities due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The event was to be held from September 27 to 28 this year at the Gulf Hotel and Convention Centre, Manama.

Announcing the decision, CEO Ross Moloney said: “As the situation is still somewhat unclear due to the pandemic, with international travel restrictions currently in place, and some organisations putting a hold on employees travel until the end of the year, LEEA is concerned that running LiftEx this year will affect the results for our exhibitors and compromise the success of the event.”

“Furthermore, the Minister of Labour in Bahrain has suggested that early next year is a far more suitable time to hold the show.”

Moving forward, Moloney said: “The current exhibitors have to simply transfer their booking to the new March dates, or if this is not practical, participation can be cancelled without penalty.”

The LEEA is the leading representative body for all those involved in the lifting industry worldwide. It is the authoritative representative body for its members who work in every aspect of the industry – from design, manufacture, refurbishment and repair, through to the hire, maintenance and use of lifting equipment.

The association has played a key role in this specialised field for over 75 years, from training and standards setting through to the development of examination and licensing systems.

“We are bitterly disappointed that we cannot hold an in-person show this year, but are confident that with more time for the vaccination rollout and pilot testing for exhibitions and live events, we will all enjoy a successful show in March,” he added.