UPDATE (3/6/20): CED Venture Connect and The Muster have been postponed. Raleigh officials also pulled out of sending a delegation to South by Southwest. Read the latest here, here and here.

ORIGINAL STORY:

RESEARCH TRIANGLE  PARK – As the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to take a toll on the global economy, the tech conference season is not spared from impact. Over the past few weeks, several national and international events have been cancelled.

So, what do these cancellations mean for upcoming state and regional tech and business conferences in North Carolina? So far, major event organizers are sticking to plans. We reached out to leaders of the region’s top upcoming conferences to get their take.

Most notably, the Venture Connect Summit, held March 17-19 at the Raleigh Convention Center, is continuing as planned. Hosted by the Council for Entrepreneurial Development, the annual program is one of the largest tech and life science events for entrepreneurs, executives and investors in North Carolina.

Kelly Rowell, CED’s vice president of customer experience, confirmed to TechWire in an email that CED is not planning to reschedule Venture Connect at this point. However, organizers are monitoring the situation closely, “keeping the safety of attendees a top priority.”

Raleigh still planning to send delegation to South by Southwest despite corornavirus concerns

“The majority of Venture Connect attendees are traveling from within the U.S. and we are communicating with the Raleigh Convention Center to ensure CDC guidelines for large gatherings are met,” Rowell adds.

The DIG SOUTH Tech Summit, set for April 22-24 in Charleston, South Carolina, is another major destination for entrepreneurs and investors in North Carolina. DIG SOUTH CEO Stanfield Gray told us that the conference is still on.

“The DIG Team is closely monitoring the news and staying in touch with our sponsors and attendees in case the situation changes,” Gray stated. “DIG SOUTH prioritizes the well-being of its tech tribe above anything else.”

Plans are also still on for Bunker Labs’ Atlantic Region Muster Across America Tour, March 12 at the MetLife Global Technology Campus in Cary. The annual event convenes hundreds of military veteran entrepreneurs and small business owners.

Dean Bundschu, Bunker Labs‘ Atlantic region executive director, confirmed Monday afternoon that the event is continuing as scheduled for now, but his team is meeting with the organization’s national leadership on contingency planning. Guidance is forthcoming.

Bundschu adds, “We are also working locally as a team and in partnership with all of our local partners to discuss contingencies and precautions.”

The Triad’s High Point Market conference, set for April 25-29, is also proceeding as planned next month. The annual furniture trade show is the single-largest economic event in North Carolina, the Courier-Tribune reports. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper would ultimately have the authority to cancel a public event over health concerns. But regarding High Point Market, a spokesperson confirmed to High Point Enterprise that Cooper doesn’t intend to use his authority to cancel the show.

Cary-based Epic Games announced Monday that it will be cancelling its upcoming Unreal Fest Europe, which was slated for Prague April 29-May 1.

Epic Games cancels Unreal Fest amid coronavirus fears after also exiting Game Developers Conference

National, international events hit

Mobile World Congress, the world’s largest mobile phone exhibition, cancelled its 2020 program in mid-February after LG, Intel, Sony, Amazon and other brands pulled out of the show. The conference was scheduled for February 24-27 in Barcelona. Facebook followed suit by cancelling its F8 Developer Conference, which was set to take place May 5-6 in San Jose.

The CERAWeek energy conference, planned for March 9-13 in Houston, was cancelled on Sunday. And this month’s Game Developers Conference (March 16-20 in San Francisco) has been postponed after Epic Games, Sony, EA and other vendors pulled out.

Meanwhile, South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin will continue as planned on March 13-22, organizers said Sunday. But Twitter pulled out of SXSW on Monday after halting all non-critical business travel and events. CEO Jack Dorsey was scheduled to keynote the event.

Coronavirus Containment Measures

Preemptively cancelling mass gatherings is an effective measure that communities can take to minimize the risk of further outbreak in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website notes. Conferences are notoriously germy, as participants gather, swap handshakes and sit in close contact.

Other community-based interventions include school dismissals, social distancing and allowing employees to work remotely. Cancelling or limiting non-essential international travel is another way to mitigate the spread of the virus. Both Google and Amazon recently announced that they’re limiting travel for employees.

The CDC is also encouraging individuals to adopt intentional behavioral changes like frequent hand-washing, cleaning common surfaces, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home if you’re sick.

The total number of global coronavirus cases has reached 90,000, with over 3,000 deaths. In the U.S., new cases have been reported in New York, Rhode Island and Florida, and six patients have died in Washington.

But the hope of containment is not lost among public health officials. The World Health Organization stated on Monday that while “the window of opportunity is narrowing,” there’s still time for countries around the world to take a “comprehensive approach” to containing the virus.

This is a developing story. Stay on top of coronavirus news updates here.


NCSU economist: Economy will remain wobbly as long as coronavirus uncertainty persists

Coronavirus is driving worst downturn in global economy since 2009, trade group warns

Stock markets having worst week since 2008 global financial crisis