Canceling a global show or event will cost the organizer and supposed participants some money, time, and more importantly, effort. However, the risks that come with the coronavirus forced some international gatherings to get pushed back or completely canceled.
China Leads the Way
In China, multiple events have been shut down or postponed since the start of the year. The latest show to see its shutters close is the annual auto show in Beijing.
According to Tech Crunch, the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition has been postponed although no official date has been provided as of writing due to the health threat posed by the Wuhan coronavirus.
The said auto show was supposed to kick off on April 21. However, the CoViD-19 crisis faced by China has disrupted the domestic automotive industry.
The Chinese auto industry is one of the world's top providers of vehicle components but the coronavirus' disruption on operations tempered growth in some auto segments in the country as well as around the world.
Aside from the Beijing auto show, the Chinese Grand Prix was also postponed. According to Ars Technica, the Formula 1 race set for April 19 in Shanghai was postponed after promoters of the event petitioned amid fears of the infection spreading among participants.
Industry experts noted that auto show promoters and organizers are having a hard time setting official rescheduling dates due to the continuous coronavirus outbreak. It remains to be seen whether the the situation will lighten up in the coming weeks.
Japan's Famous Marathon Canceled
Runners who have been preparing over the past months for the Tokyo Marathon was disheartened with confirming news that the largest marathon in all of Asia has been canceled for most runners.
Scheduled for March 1, the Tokyo Marathon was supposed to see 38,000 runners in this year's show, the Japan Times reported. Of the thousands in participants, around 200 were elite runners.
While organizers and medical teams met earlier this year to discuss and establish health and safety measures during the marathon, the ongoing coronavirus outbreak pushed organizers to cancel the event for fears that participants may get infected.
Debates are also up on whether Japan should still host 2020 Olympics following the Diamond Princess crisis that resulted in a coronavirus stigma among ships cruising across Asia.
Singapore Concerts and Shows Canceled
Multiple crowd-attracting concerts and shows have been postponed or canceled amid the city-state's battle against coronavirus.
TODAY reported that the iLight Singapore festival will be pushed back to a later date due to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak. The festival features presentations by local and international artists with artworks and light art installations around the famed Marina Bay.
Singer-songwriter Khalid's March 26 concert tour in the city-state was also postponed but no date has been set yet for his appearance in the city-state. The singer posted that refunds will be made to fans who purchased tickets.
The NATAS Travel Fair originally scheduled for February 21-23 has been moved to May 1-3. The venue has not changed as the travel the extravaganza will still be held at the Singapore Expo.
Tech Events Postponed
Several tech events have also been pushed to later dates following last week's postponement of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
According to Reuters, the SEMICON/FPD China 2020, originally set for March 18-30, was postponed and organizers have yet to announce when the new schedule will be. The said event gathers global chip companies and manufacturers.
Fintech show Money 20/20 Asia, Singapore was also moved to August 25-27. The initial schedule was supposed to be March 24-26.
Even conferences in gas, metals, steel, and other industries have been postponed including the Palm and Lauric Oils Price Outlook Conference & Exhibition originally scheduled for March 2-4, as well as the International Steel Market and Trade Conference, initially set for March 25-27.
Organizers who postponed conferences and events without a new schedule announcements have advised participants to keep track of further notice regarding new venues or dates for the shows.
