The Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates is acquiring a trade show, a decision coming at a time when many association shows have been canceled or scaled back because of the COVID-19 pandemic

SOCMA announced Tuesday it would become sole owner Specialty & Custom Chemicals Show, a trade show founded in 2019 and produced by events organizer Chemicals America. Terms of the deal were not announced.

SOCMA and Chemicals America previously partnered to produce the event, which is held in Fort Worth, Texas. This year's event in February attracted 1,270 attendees. In a statement, association CEO Jennifer Abril said the decision to purchase a trade show came out of that effort.

"This is something we have considered since partnering with (Chemicals America President) Tom Leahy to launch the Fort Worth Show, and conditions were right between both parties to effectuate the sale," Abril said. "Tom has built an event that is strategically important to the industry, and it has indeed been a pleasure working with the Chemicals America team these past two years to carry out our mutual vision to see the industry succeed."

The events industry has been hit hard by the halt of most business travel during pandemic. Many associations have had to cancel events or move them online. In some cases trade shows have disappeared entirely, such as the Consumer Technology Association's decision in July to no longer hold a spin-off of its popular CES trade show in Asia.

SOCMA said it plans to move forward with a live trade show, with the next event scheduled for Feb. 9-11 in Fort Worth. The association said it is taking "a cautious and thoughtful approach" and plans to implement social distancing and other safety protocols associated with the pandemic.

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