By Jonathan Easton
NAB Show 2021 will no longer go ahead as an in-person event.
In a statement issued on September 15, the organisers of the trade show announced that they had shelved plans to stage the event in Las Vegas as a result of ongoing concerns around the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event was scheduled to go ahead in October as one of the first major international trade shows for the TV industry since the outbreak of the virus.
NAB Show has said that it will reveal “virtual options” as an alternative to the in-person event at a later date.
Fresh doubts were raised over the event’s prospects last week when major attendees Ross Video, Canon, Panasonic and Rohde & Schwarz all withdrew from the show.
As with many countries, the US is currently struggling to battle against a surge of infections that have been caused by the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus. Newly released figures from the Johns Hopkins University show that 663,913 people in the US have died of COVID-19, representing one in 500 Americans who have died as a result of the coronavirus.
“For more than a year we have worked tirelessly to bring our industry together safely in Las Vegas at NAB Show. Unfortunately, the pandemic and surge of the Delta variant has presented unexpected and insurmountable challenges for our global community.
As we have always kept the best interest and safety of the industry as our priority, it has become apparent in the face of these challenges that we can no longer effectively host NAB Show or our co-located events, the Radio Show and Sales and Management Television Exchange, in person.
NAB Show is the premiere destination for the media and entertainment industry and we will not move forward with a show that delivers anything less than the excellence our community has come to expect and deserves from us.
While we are disappointed that we will not be together again in person next month, we look forward to converging in Las Vegas at the 2022 NAB Show, April 23-27, 2022, to reignite our passion for our business and focus on a bright future ahead.
Stay tuned for details regarding virtual options for accessing select 2021 NAB Show content through NAB Amplify.”https://www.digitaltveurope.com
