As the fear of COVID-19 coronavirus spreads, Las Vegas has lost its first big conference, with Adobe Systems cancelling its annual Summit convention due to start later this month, an event that had been expected to attract 20,000 visitors to hear top corporate executives and celebrity headline speakers like Gwyneth Paltrow.
The news came in the same week that the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that COVID-19 kills 3.4% of those who catch it, a figure many times higher than seasonal flu, which kills far fewer than 1%.
Following cancellation of its conference in Las Vegas, Adobe says it now plans to host some of the event online.
Adobe’s website gave details of the cancellation and possible refunds.
“Over the past few weeks, we have been closely monitoring and evaluating the situation around COVID-19 to ensure we are taking the necessary measures to protect the health and wellbeing of Adobe Summit attendees,” an Adobe company statement said.
“As a result, we have made the difficult but important decision to make Summit/Imagine 2020 an online event this year and cancel the live event in Las Vegas. While we are disappointed that we will not be together in-person with our community this year, we are excited to host Adobe Summit as an online experience.”
The expected attendance, 20,000, is by no means the largest event hosted by Las Vegas, America’s entertainment capital.
Next month, Las Vegas is due to host a far bigger meeting, the world’s biggest show dedicated to filmed entertainment and to the development, management and delivery of broadcast content across all mediums. All eyes are on the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention, which attracts more than 100,000 attendees to numerous locations on the Vegas Strip. Those 100,000-plus visitors include many famous faces and their entourages, so publicity is huge.
As of yesterday, NAB confirmed it was planning to proceed as planned and hold the show 18-22 April 2020 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
“We are moving forward responsibly with the show,” NAB declared.
“We continue to take our direction from global, federal, and local health officials, like the WHO and CDC, which do not have travel notices or restrictions on public gatherings for the continental US.
“We understand there are exhibitors and participants that may decide not to attend this year’s show and respect everyone’s desire to do what they believe is best. As of today, we are hearing that the overwhelming majority of our exhibitors are looking forward to attending the show and our attendee registrations continue on pace with the normal patterns we see year-over-year.”
Crucially for the travel industry, the IPW travel mart, America’s prime travel show, due to begin 30 May 2020 in Las Vegas, has no plans to cancel.
In a statement issued just after the recent shock cancellation of ITB Berlin in the face of COVID-19, IPW general manager Malcolm Smith said:
“While IPW is several months away, we’re presently on track to host an outstanding event in Las Vegas, Nevada, May 30-June 3. It’s ‘all systems go’ and planning for all scenarios is well underway. Registration is strong from both domestic and international attendees.
“US public health and security officials, as recently as yesterday, have been clear in stating that the threat of COVID-19 in the United States remains low. We will continue to follow the guidance offered by these leading health authorities and be guided by the most up-to-date information available. Any alternative decisions will be informed by expert advice. We aim to react properly to this current situation, but not to overreact.”
- In other big news related to meetings and coronavirus, the American Physical Society abruptly cancelled its annual conference this week, so close to the start of the event that international delegates were in the air flying to it. Some 10,000 people from around the world were expected to attend the conference, which had been scheduled to run in Denver, Colorado, all this week. “We recognize that the timing of this decision has significantly inconvenienced many of you,” organisers said. “However, this decision was made out of deep concern for the health and well-being of our registrants, staff, vendors, and the Denver community.”
- Separately, the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) yesterday issued a statement confirming the association’s intention to proceed with Incentive Summit Europe in Davos, Switzerland (26-29 March) and Incentive Summit Americas in Beaver Creek, Colorado, US (2-5 April).
Data from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority shows that last year, more than 6.6 million people visited the city for conferences, which represented 15.5% of the total 42.5 million visitors.
The New York Times reported that stocks of the gambling companies Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands, both big names in Vegas, had each fallen by more than 20% this year. That, however, was mainly due to the closure of the companies’ huge casino operations in Macau for two weeks earlier this year. The Macao closure, a move to combat COVID-19, was under orders from the gambling hub’s pro-Beijing administration.
Written by Peter Needham
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