As we all know, all spring events were cancelled this year. Fall looks promising though, and IBC in Amsterdam remains scheduled for September. However, Panasonic has announced that they won’t exhibit at this year’s show, and the reason seems to be the coronavirus fear.
In the statement, Panasonic writes that the company is “focusing on supporting its partners and customers through its online initiatives.” One of them is the launch of Panasonic’s Technology Experience Zone. André Meterian, Director of the Professional Video Systems Business Unit for EMEA, said:
“It has been a very difficult decision. As much as we look forward each year to welcoming visitors at this important industry event, we must prioritise the well-being of our staff, partners and attendees. In the meantime, we will focus on creating additional activities and work with partners and industry leaders to continuously develop new content for our Technology Experience Zone, including live streaming, webinars, video podcasts and training. We will further expand our offering and aim to provide online virtual experiences to ensure our customers can stay in touch with the latest news from Panasonic Broadcast & ProAV.”
The coronavirus concerns haven’t been explicitly cited in the statement. However, “must prioritise the well-being of our staff, partners and attendees” indicates that this might be the case. Shows like Photokina, NAB and CP+ were completely canceled. Still, IBC remains scheduled for September, and new dates for The Photography Show have also been set for this month. However, there are predictions that we may expect another wave of the coronavirus in fall. I’ve heard this multiple times when accidentally catching the news on TV, too. So, my assumption is that Panasonic simply doesn’t want to risk, and I support it.
The question is ow other companies will react. Will there be any more major corporations who will pull out of IBC? And if there will, might it be enough to have this event rescheduled too? There are so many questions, nothing is certain, and I feel that anything could happen. What are your predictions for this year’s IBC and other fall events?
[via Cinema5D]
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