A further two energy events have been forced to alter their plans due to the ongoing spread of Omicron across Europe.
Oilfield services giant Baker Hughes has “after much consideration” opted to cancel its annual meeting in Florence.
It was due to be held in the Italian city at the end of the month.
A Baker Hughes spokeswoman said: “Regrettably and after much consideration, we decided to cancel the Baker Hughes Annual Meeting 2022 which was due to be held in Florence at the end of January.
“Considering the continuing spread of the Omicron variant, which is proving to be highly contagious as well as impacting global airline travel, we believe that prioritising the well-being of our attendees, partners, and employees must come first and foremost.
“This was a difficult decision, but we know it’s the right one based on the information we have today.”
Offshore Wind Conference
Meanwhile trade body Scottish Renewables has rescheduled Offshore Wind Conference, exhibition & dinner, which was due to take place on January 25 and 26.
The Scottish Government announced yesterday that current curbs on indoor events are likely to be lifted on January 24, a week after those on outdoor events.
In a statement Scottish Renewables said: “The decision has been made with the health and safety of our attendees and staff team as top priority, and we hope the rescheduling of this key networking event gives everyone some comfort and reassurance.”
The event will now take place at the Scottish Exhibition Campus (SEC) on April 20 and 21.
A running trend
Last week it was organisers of Offshore Europe announced their decision to postpone the event amid rising Omicron cases.
The oil and gas showcase, which is the largest of its kind in Europe, was due to take place in early February.
A smaller event may be held this year, while the main conference has been rescheduled for September 5-8 2023.
© Supplied by Reed ExhibitionsCountless industry events have been forced to chop and change their plans since the emergence of Covid-19 in Europe in 2020.
It had been thought that things were beginning to return to normal and several events – including Oil and Gas UK’s offshore decommissioning conference and Decom North Sea’s Decom Live – were able to take place in-person last year.
But the emergence of the Omicron variant towards the end of 2021 has created fresh uncertainty about the safety of large indoor gatherings.