NAB Show called off amid coronavirus

The National Association of broadcasters (NAB) has cancelled its annual conference scheduled to take place next month in Las Vegas amid the outbreak of coronavirus. 

In an open letter, NAB president and CEO Gordon Smith said that NAB Show would not move forward with the show “in the interest of addressing the health and safety concerns of our stakeholders and in consultation with partners throughout the media and entertainment industry.”

He added that the NAB are considering “a number of potential alternatives to create the best possible experience for our community.” Many other large conferences which have been cancelled in recent weeks have instead scheduled smaller and more targeted events or shifted to web-based sessions.

He said: “We are still weighing the best potential path forward, and we ask you for your patience as we do so. We are committed to exploring all possible alternatives so that we can provide a productive setting where the industry can engage with the latest technology, hear from industry thought leaders and make the game-changing connections that drive our industry forward.”

Smith continued: “This was not an easy decision. Fortunately, we did not have to make this decision alone, and are grateful to our NAB Show community for engaging with us as we grappled with the rapidly-evolving situation. This Show is as much yours as it is ours, and it is important to us that we move forward together.”

The letter goes on to say that the show has been going for “nearly 100 years” and in that time it has “provided superior value and the best possible experience for exhibitors and attendees.” Smith said that an inability to “deliver on those expectations” was key to the decision to cancel the show.

NAB Show is the latest event to be hit by the virus Other cancelled events include SXSW, Cabsat, MIPTV, the European launch of Disney+ and a host of others, while other events like Connected TV World Summit have been reduced in scale.