There will be no handshake deals at the National Association of Broadcasters NAB Show in Las Vegas next month.
According to the NAB's coronavirus-related conference status page, the show is still on, but there will be a "no handshake" policy to help "reduce the unnecessary spread of germs," the association said. It points out that "the city of Las Vegas is continuing to host successful trade events and other public gatherings daily, maintaining rigorous cleanliness and safety standards throughout public spaces, resorts, and meeting facilities."
According to the NAB site, 96% of the exhibitors were still planning to attend the show, which brings together close to 100,000 attendees and participants from around the globe, with the majority of those Chinese firms under travel restrictions.
But one of the pullouts is Burlington, Mass.-based Avid Technologies, which has announced that in response to the coronavirus outbreak, it is canceling its participation in all conferences and trade shows for the next 60 days (the NAB Show is in Mid-April), including NAB and its the Avid Connect 2020 Conference, which had been scheduled for the same week in Las Vegas.
Instead, Avid will host an online event to introduce its new products that would have been promoted at the conferences.
“While these were difficult decisions for Avid, and for me personally, we feel strongly that helping stop the spread and severity of the COVID-19 virus is not just the job of governments and healthcare providers, but the responsibility of every individual, organization and corporation around the globe,” said Avid CEO Jeff Rosica in a statement.
The NAB switchboard was not answering calls at press time and a spokesperson could not be reached for comment.
