The Dutch Mushroom Days, scheduled for 6, 7 and 8 July have been cancelled last Friday by the organizers. Main reason for this decision was the cumulative cancellation of leading exhibitors.

“The number of cancellations by the Dutch exhibitors in particular has become so great that, after a weighing of interests, according to (the board of) the Mushroom Days Foundation, the success of the Mushroom Days 2022 is jeopardized. Without participants, the Mushroom Days cannot serve as a platform for meetings and knowledge exchange and the benefits no longer outweigh the costs. The board of the Mushroom Days Foundation therefore has no choice but to cancel the Mushroom Days 2022 for good”

With these words, the board announced the cancellation of the Mushroom Days last Friday the 15th. Some exhibitors expressed their concerns in March this year and advised to postpone the Mushroom Days to 2023. Main reasons for these concerns were and still are COVID (travel) restrictions in some regions in the world, especially in China. Travel restrictions would have a negative impact on the participating exhibitors but also on the event visitors. The other concern is currently how the situation in the Ukraine will further evolve. The negative financial climate is worrying people and bringing a lot of question marks as well. Next to this the timing of the Mushroom Days in July is not ideal.

These concerns were communicated to the organization, however positive signals on the other hand led to the decision to go ahead with organizing the event. A lot of discussions took place, as a group of exhibitors felt not heard by the organization, to consider postponement of the Mushroom Days to 2023. As a result of this, the organization was confronted by more and more cancellations of leading exhibitors which created a stripped-down exhibition floor. The revenues could not outweigh the costs anymore so the choice to cancel the event had to be made.

The organization is informing all exhibitors and visitors and is looking into the financial consequences for all those involved.
This situation is deeply regretted by the leading exhibitors and the organizers as well, but they also expressed looking forward to next year, when the circumstances are hopefully much better.