Yet another major tech show, MWC Shanghai, cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic

The Shanghai event is the second MWC conference to be cancelled this year, after MWC Barcelona was shelved less than two weeks before the event
It is the latest of many major tech events that have been pulled in light of coronavirus fears and travel restrictions

Technology

Iris Deng

Published: 12:49pm, 20 Apr 2020

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Months after the last-minute cancellation of MWC Barcelona, the world’s biggest mobile industry gathering, organiser GSMA has announced that it will also be cancelling the regional edition of the show in Shanghai – this time well in advance of the event which was supposed to run from June 30 to July 2.

The decision was made “in light of current government guidance, the global concern regarding the coronavirus outbreak, travel restrictions and other circumstances”, London-based GSMA said in a statement on Friday.

In the meantime, GSMA is working with government and health authorities to find a suitable date and venue to hold regional conferences in China in the latter half of 2020, and will confirm the feasibility of doing so in the coming months, the trade body said. The organisation said in an emailed response to the Post’s queries that exhibitors who have already paid will be able to choose to either roll this money over for use on its other events or receive refunds.

The GSMA represents the interests of more than 750 mobile network operators around the world, and produces MWC events held annually in Barcelona, Los Angeles and Shanghai. There has been no word yet on whether the Los Angeles edition in October will go ahead.

MWC Barcelona, which was to be held from February 24 to 27, was cancelled less than two weeks before its opening despite earlier assurances from GSMA that the event would go ahead even as major exhibitors pulled out due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.

World’s biggest mobile trade show cancelled over coronavirus crisis

It was among the first of many major industry events to be shelved due to travel restrictions and health concerns related to the Covid-19 pandemic. Last month, MWC Shanghai’s crosstown peer CES Asia – which was also set to take place in June in Shanghai – was postponed without a new date, and the South by Southwest festival, a major tech and music event in Austin, Texas, was cancelled.

Tech companies have pulled events involving large gatherings as well, with cancellations so far including Facebook’s in-person developer gathering F8, Google’s I/O developer conference, the Huawei Developer Conference and Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

According to a press release by the GSMA last December, MWC Shanghai 2020 was supposed to take place at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, with events also at the Kerry Hotel Pudong and Jumeirah Himalayas Hotel.

The industry organisation had expected more than 75,000 industry professionals to attend the event, with exhibitors including Huawei, ZTE, Samsung and Ericsson.

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