Earlier this fall, leading suppliers of laundry and dry-cleaning technology used the free-cancellation deadline offered by trade show organizer Messe Frankfurt to cancel their participation in Texcare International 2021. Due to these defections—with many citing the uncertainty of the pandemic as a reason for their withdrawal—the Texcare International advisory council voted in September to cancel this year’s show, according to a news release.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Messe Frankfurt offered Texcare International exhibitors the right to cancel their participation free of charge until Sept. 3. As time passed this summer, the outlook appeared increasingly positive. By early August ...