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TAP TIMES -24-
SEMICON Europa (from 23)
There were specially appointed Mask Moni-
tors meandering around warning people
to wear only an approved European FFP2
mask, to avoid getting fined 300 Euros.
Mask reprimand
After being reprimanded for wearing a
blue medical mask, which was given to me
by Lufthansa to wear on the flight, I went
to a nearby pharmacy and purchased a
white FFP2 mask, which resembles a KN95
mask. I have to admit that the FFP2 mask
was marginally more comfortable than
KN95 masks.
Visitors were provided with a loophole to
procrastinate wearing a mask while eating
or drinking. Needless to say, I gained five-
pounds during my Munich experience while
continuously eating and drinking the local
cuisine.
Once inside the exhibition, it was obvious
Unlike past shows, COVID-19 allowed people to move around the exhibit areas without crowding.
JANUARY 2022
that the show was down-scaled. The entire
SEMICON Europa and productronica exhi-
bition was scaled back to eight halls.
Show shrinkage
In its glory days, the combined show
sprawled out among 14 large exhibition
halls.
Show organizers used their usual tricks to
widen the isles to lessen the visual impact
of fewer booths. There were still large
swatches of empty floor space, however,
where booths had stood in prior years.
Chinese exhibitors were absent
The absence of Chinese exhibitors was
duly noted, due to rules banning them
from entering Germany.
SEMICON Europa, as well as productron-
ica was a four-day event. On Friday, the
fourth day of the show, exhibitors were
mostly standing in their booths with vir-
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