"Was kommen kann, weiß keiner" (engl.: Nobody knows what can come) - This quote from Henrik Ibsen's drama "Peer Gynt" is more relevant than ever in view of the serious crisis in the cultural and event sector triggered by the Covid19 pandemic.

Over the course of the 32 years since its inception, the Internationale Kulturbörse Freiburg (IKF) has emerged as THE industry meeting place for the culture and events scene in the German-speaking world. The IKF takes place in January each year. Performing artists, musicians and street theatre performers present excerpts from their current productions over three days as part of almost 200 live performances. Some 400 exhibitors in two exhibition halls showcase the latest in the culture and event industry. 5.000 trade visitors each year take advantage of the numerous opportunities for information and communication that this international trade fair presents.

We are extremely glad that the Ordinance by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Economic Affairs of Baden-Württemberg on Controlling the Spread of the Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) in Trade Fairs of 14 July 2020 is allowing trade fairs to be held again in Baden-Württemberg from 1 September 2020 subject to various conditions. Holding the Internationale Kulturbörse Freiburg on the Messe Freiburg site is subject to the condition that we submit a hygiene plan setting out the necessary precautions we propose to take to comply with hygiene and protection measures for preventing the spread of the coronavirus. The hygiene plan for the IKF is aligned to the stipulations of the state of Baden-Württemberg.

Since experience shows that federal state ordinances and thus the stipulations can change very quickly, we will be presenting the hygiene plan for the 33rd IKF 2021 on the IKF website in November. This will tell you what measures FWTM GmbH & Co.KG, the promoter of the IKF, will be taking to guarantee the safety of visitors, exhibitors, artistes, staff and service providers and to comply with the regulations. However, we would like to ask you already now to familiarize yourself with the most important information about IKF and corona. You will find this under "Corona | FAQs“ which will of course be updated regularly in case of changes.

The 33rd IKF 2021 will be somewhat smaller in scale than previous editions. The social distancing necessary because of the coronavirus means that there will be fewer theatre auditoria than in past editions and so a few less short shows than last year (but more than enough to make your choice difficult…), and fewer countries will be represented than in previous years. And we won’t be putting on “Special Shows” this year in the foyer and central foyer areas, as these spaces will be needed for guiding the flow of visitors.
Smaller maybe, but more important than ever! The 33rd IKF 2021 is especially important, and on an even greater scale than in the past, as a networking platform! Especially now it is important to demonstrate that there is a diverse and wide-ranging cultural scene with many facets. A fact that on the one hand makes the work of lobbying much more difficult, but on the other hand makes for an asset of immeasurable wealth for our society.

Should the Internationale Kulturbörse Freiburg 2021 not be able to take place by official order due to the coronavirus, we will inform you in good time. In this case FWTM GmbH & Co. KG will not charge stand and cancellation fees. The FWTM GmbH & Co. KG shall not be liable, however, for costs already incurred, such as stand construction, hotel bookings, orders for goods, etc.

We look forward to seeing you in January. Take care of yourself!

Susanne Göhner, Project Manager IKF
Melanie Schmidt, Project Assistent Live Performances | Artist's Service
Fiona Wieber, Project Assistent Exhibition | Exhibitor's Service
Constanze Löffler, Project Assistent
Lisa Grünagel, Project Assistent