Computex 2020 canceled, due to COVID-19 pandemic
Computex 2020 - one of the biggest computer shows in the world - will no longer happen this year. The event, which was slated to take place in September, has been canceled in its entirety, due to health concerns and international travel restrictions stemming from the outbreak of COVID-19 around the world. Here's more about it.
Event originally delayed, now canceled
Originally scheduled for June 2, Computex was postponed to September 28 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The organizers of the event - the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and Taipei Computer Association (TCA) - had hoped that the situation would improve by September, but the crisis has grown beyond control, prompting them to cancel the show completely.
Here's what organizers said while announcing the cancellation
"The outbreak of pandemic COVID-19 has disturbed all major economic sectors of the whole world. Many countries have imposed travel restrictions to help curb the spread of COVID-19. Computex stakeholders, including international exhibitors, visitors, and media, may not be able to join the show consequently."
Pressure from attendees and exhibitors
According to PC Gamer, the organizers of the show were under a lot of pressure from attendees and exhibitors who typically announce a lot of PC hardware at Computex. Many local companies had already pulled out of the show and major US giants like NVIDIA and AMD were also said to be debating whether they should attend the show, given the current crisis.
Next Computex show in 2021
Now, the organizers said that Computex would take place in 2021. The event will be organized at locations across Taipei and will run from June 1 to June 5. For this year, some online experiences will be organized, including an "Online 2D Exhibition" to display and promote exhibitors' products and services and an "#InnoVEXOnlineDemo" for start-ups to showcase their technologies.
COVID-19 has triggered many cancellations, shifts to "online events"
The COVID-19 pandemic, which has infected over 76 lakh people and killed over 4.24 lakh worldwide, has already led to many event cancellations. Several popular conferences, including the Mobile World Conference, Facebook's F8, Google's I/O, E3, and the 2020 Game Developers Conference, have been canceled. Meanwhile, Apple's WWDC 2020 has moved to an online format and is slated to take place later in June.
