Motorola / Avigilon is one of the West's biggest video surveillance companies and the first non-Chinese company we have heard has dropped, with a few weeks to go to the show.
Inside this note, we examine Motorola Solution's move here and how it may impact the show.
Related, while IPVM has not officially dropped out of our (tiny) ISC West booth (nor would it make a difference), we spoke internally early in the week and only 1 IPVM employee is currently comfortable attending, so while we will be fulfilling our bag obligation, it is unlikely we will be staffing our (tiny) booth.
I can understand people who want to attend and can also see the business value for those who seek to generate big deals or whale leads but for me personally and our company, the potential risk is more than the rewards.
I have massive respect for Avigilon for doing this.
This essentially means that other major IP video manufacturers care less about the welfare of their employees and customers than Avigilon unless they pull out, too
Agreed, this is a shockingly bold move for a company that often seems somewhat “boiler room” at times. I would have assumed that if ISC generates even a cent of profit it would roll forward for them. It is great to see that is not the case! In my mind they are the first large scale manufacturer to state they care about their employees.
I'll be more uncomfortable attending a show in south Africa, Brazil or Mexico where violent crime is rampant.
I think their risk assessment in this case is wrong, I don't think there is greater risk in vegas compared with continuing with normal operations in the office.
there are also a lot of Chinese in Vancouver (maybe even more than vegas) ;) so this is for sure not a factor on the decision making
How often does their large USA employee base go to Vancouver?
I don't know what the COVID-19 status is in Canada, but perhaps their Canadian employees are more at risk and therefore they don't want to bring them into close proximity to their USA employees? Wouldn't that make sense if there are more Chinese in Vancouver than Vegas?
Is Vancouver a massive entertainment district where people are constantly near each other, touching everything, and most likely under the influence of a substance to make them less likely to remember or even care about hygiene? Maybe, I've never been there.
If you were murdered in Africa, Brazil, or Mexico, your family would cash in on your (hopefully) $million+ life insurance policy plus what your company would have to pay and endure emotional distress for years, but otherwise probably end up living great lives. Or you could bring back a potentially deadly virus and be responsible, in part, of a pandemic that kills thousands of people, potentially your own family. What is the more acceptable outcome in your eyes?
For everyone naysaying this please remember the officially mortality rate is 2%... Not a big deal until you realize that's 40 times higher than the flu which is 0.05%. Also 80% of cases are mild cold-like cases, great right? Until you realize that the other 20% go severe and critical, often needing ventilators, IV fluids, copious amounts of drugs to stave off deadly secondary infections and require 1 to 1 care by specially trained nurses who are few and far between. So yeah spreading the outbreak is really bad as it will take the healthcare system, and then what do you think happens to those 20% severe/critical cases and that supposed 2% death rate? I'm no mathematician but I sure as hell can see the writing on the wall. Instead of the money to go to ISC West better to buy a couple months of water, food, meds, tp (no joke people committing armed robbery in Hong Kong cause they cannot get tp) etc. Or if you're all good and stocked up at home maybe buy some extra inventory? Supply lines are already breaking down and I don't care what product line you carry some part whether it be the lens, chips, circuit board, housing, etc likely either comes directly from China or a subset of that component does. Expect major disruptions... But by all means go to Vegas and have a few Coronas just don't get or infect a few friends with Coronavirus please. Oh yeah, anyone else see the whole 14-42 day asymptomatic spread? Yeah no thank you, not with a newborn at home for me.
I agree with being prepared and having extra food at home.
This virus is very dangerous because there are so many unknowns.
The outcome your predict is a very slight possibility, and yes you should be prepared. You plan for the worst and hope for the best. Worst case scenario in 3 months you donate all the food.
If the virus is in the U.S already (which I think it is) going to Vegas or going to church will be the same thing in 3 weeks.
Imo The Chinese exhibitors who would show up have less of a chance of having carona virus then other people exhibiting at the show.
They have been tested and quaruntined for weeks, plus they have been using sanitary practices(only after the outbreak).
The next week should really give us a bigger guage of how bad it will be in the U.S
ISC East took a hit a few years back due to hurricane and recovered. COVID19 is predictably short lived (gone by May/June), so precautionary actions for a few months hastens recovery of this economic hit. Supply line delays already impacted near term fulfillment. Stay home, stay healthy. All will balance out by end of summer. In the mean time, bring supply chains back to the Americas.
There have been 19 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada and 7 confirmed cases in British Columbia, so the risk factor for Canadians in Canada is relatively low. With people coming from all over the world and the close proximity of people it is a ready made recipe for disaster. The security industry and companies involved will survive if ISC was cancelled.
Before traveling to Vancouver in November I had no idea the Chinese population there. Won’t be returning to Whistler for spring skiing that’s for sure.
True, the regular old flu that we know well and have studied for decades is still fairly deadly, despite all of our medical technology. We have vaccines and all sorts of treatment knowledge, and it still kills lots of people.
Covid-19 is not understood, and is basically brand new. There is plenty of risk for it to kill far more people than “regular flu”, but a massive effort has been put into containing it to slow it down. Cancelling a show like ISC West, or the Mobile World Congress, is just one more precaution to prevent the spread of a disease we don’t understand.
It’s not difficult to understand the nuance, you just have to think critically. There is a difference, and a risk. Denying that is certainly an option, but it’s like deciding to drive without a seatbelt. You’re absolutely just fine to do that, but you can’t complain when you’re ejected and die in a freak accident.
I prefer to wear my seatbelt. And not expose myself and my family to needless risk this one year, for a massive marketing exercise.
...I didn't make any comparison to a car accident.
It's not ignorance to compare viruses, but these are inaccurate comparisons. The flu doesn't spread this effectively, and people aren't taking that into account.
My bad if you thought I was disagreeing with you, I was actually going along the same lines as you. The car reference was someone who tried to use data that you are more likely to die in a car accident then this new strain which is LUDAcris because people driving cars and having accidents would not shut down schools, but a new unknown strain can and has. People driving cars causing accidents will not shut down schools, economies, or borders (travel restrictions).
The car accident analogy fits. You’re saying this is unlikely to be a big problem, so if it’s not a big deal, why bother with the precaution?
You won’t get Covid-19 at ISC and die, outside of a freak occurrence. Just like you aren’t likely to die in a car wreck on any given day. Still, wear the seatbelt.
Or don’t, if you prefer to reject reason. You’re free to make all the bad choices you want.
People driving cars causing accidents will not shut down schools, economies, or borders (travel restrictions). Car accidents with casualties don't have quarantines either.
You’re correct, my analogy was not a perfect parallel. The point is that both car wrecks and Coronavirus are capable of taking someone out, but the chance of either happening is still a statistically rare occurrence. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take basic precautions to protect yourself.
I would not be comfortable attending. Happy I didn’t book the trip. Too many people from China there. I’m normally not concerned with stuff like this but it’s a huge show with a lot of people from China. Maybe I’m ignorant of reality or maybe I’m being too cautions. But I’m not down.
Smart move by Avigilon. I fully expect to see more companies follow suit and bravo to them for having the courage to make a tough decision.
Just the sheer chance of one person having it there and it spreading should be enough reason. Imagine if all of ISC west had to be quarantined? Not worth it.
I have been told by Hikvision partners that all publicity is good publicity....
I had not thought about that specifically - if someone fell ill at the show floor, and was found to have coronavirus, what would happen?
I have to imagine that from the show’s perspective it is an extremely unlikely event but it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility and how likely it is to happen it’s hard to guess.
Understood, but how? How do you corral all those people into a hotel? How can they be certain that someone didn’t leave early? Let’s say 20k show up, don’t you think a handful could escape “the corral?”
sorry, but I dnt see the connection, how can you attribute being infected to isc ? its vegas, you can get infected at the casino, at the hotel, at the airport on the way.
if a show attendee is infected, will you quarantine all the people in his hotel too?
Unfortunately it's not my decision on whether or not we attend, Axis and Hanwha are our main camera brands and Genetec is our VMS so it would add considerable weight in convincing my boss for us not to go if they pull out.
Have you looked at having them come to you? We have Axis and Genetec come out a few times per year to go over what we have been doing, what is new for both of them, and how they can help us to improve. The personalized touch helps out and it allows us to do so at our global headquarters with Sales Engineer and Business development rep, they are actually planning to come the week of ISC this year. Although, I am not sure how common this is as we are a fairly large business, over $100 Billion in annual revenue.
We're closer to the ~200 million range and yes we have had both of the aforementioned companies come out (among others) Really informative and something I would recommend to any end user should the opportunity present itself.
I had the chance to visit Genetec HQ a few years back, also something I recommend.
If I'm Avigilon, I still put up signs in their booth (that can't be moved or torn down) to the tune of,
"Due to current Health Concerns, we have elected to choose health, and safety for our employees, customers, partners, and prospects and will not be available in our booth for this year. You can still easily reach us via phone call, video call, email and all communication avenues. See you soon and best of health to all."
Masks with logos has been discussed before. As noted in the replies, while it's a smart move, it wouldn't be simple because most masks are made in China, and they're sold out, and John says masks aren't very comfortable anyway.
we have elected to choose health, and safety for our employees
Obviously, this is a hypothetical so I'll respond hypothetically. If an exhibitor wanted to post something like that, it would create quite a quandary for the show. Shows generally reserve broad latitude over what messaging to allow and I wonder if they would allow something that effectively disparaged them (at least in their view).
I know, thats why I said signs that can be moved/torn down. Also why I didn't have virus in the signage or anything like that. Agree with you though, unlikely allowable.
However, they did pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for their booth, if it is nonrefundable they should put some kind of similar type of message up.
Although I am UK based in the past 48 hours I have had numerous emails from my corporate customers urging us not to attend their sites until further notice and also wanting to know our individual travel plans for the past 4 weeks.
People are really clamping down on this as a risk mitigation technique.
So far, it seems that anyone who might have been exposed has been quarantined and is not in the general population. I plan on manning my little booth at the back of the hall unless something changes in the next two and a half weeks. I can always pull out at the last minute if I need too.
Plus sanitary practices of people in general is a large factor. Although this virus is speculated to have over a nine day life on certain objects. Also it can be airborne and can go even through the mouth n,and, eyes. I hope they are wrong about this
First case in US - Northern California, where person infected did not travel to China or be in direct contact with someone who has the virus. They said it might be “community spread”. Not good.
Whether or not it's in the wild, Travis Air Force Base, one of the quarantine sites, is in Solano county. That will presumably cause questions about the claims of no obvious contact .
A question for the group related to this thread that may provide some context to motivations and approaches for companies and customers leading into ISC-West.
As a related show relative to global security vendors, companies, and customers, in a location with arguably greater risk of coming into contact with someone infected based on regionally identified cases, the UK based Security and Policing Show next week is still scheduled and not cancelling (as of today).
The week after that (and the week before ISC-West) the Border Security Show in San Antonio is still scheduled, with many of the same US based and global manufacturers attending, and no public declarations of anyone pulling out or not attending.
I am curious whether anyone here has heard of any of the major manufacturers pulling out of these other security shows which run back to back leading up to ISC-West, as many of the major vendors being discussed in this thread are listed as exhibitors for these shows, and all will involve travel and exposure in similar (albeit smaller capacity) trade show environments to ISC-West.
#12, thanks for the thoughtful comments and questions about those shows. We've never covered those shows so we would not be able to comment about how they are or not impacted by Coronavirus.
well, i am sitting at home now quarantined because i visited Asia last week,
its not a lot of fun sitting at home having to self quarantine, sitting around the house with my mask on keeping away from the family, being asked did i really need to goto Asia last week.
i guess lots of people will have to do it because of the outbreak in Italy as well last week, and we don't know where the next location will be.
If by chance someone travelling there does get sick even one person , they everyone at the show will end up having to self quarantine.
So I guess its a risk reward decision for everyone.
After this I'm going to try and stay at home for a while!
It definelty sucks being stuck in one place and isolated.
Are your family members also isolated in the same house?are you in a separate room all the time?or do you use the same kitchen and bathroom?
I know these questions sound crazy. But for others who might actually be affected and are quaruntined with family members , it's important factors because it's so easily spread.
I think this is being blown way out of proportion. That is not to say that it is not something to consider however when you look at the facts it becomes very apparent that there are other things any attendee is exposed to year over year that they don't cancel going to the show because of it.
While the impact of flu varies, it places a substantial burden on the health of people in the United States each year. CDC estimates that influenza has resulted in between 9 million – 45 million illnesses, between 140,000 – 810,000 hospitalizations and between 12,000 – 61,000 deaths annually since 2010.
Since 2010 The Flu has resulted in between 1200 and 6100 Deaths a year. Average 3650 per year.
The sample’s overall case-fatality rate was 2.3%, higher than World Health Organization official 0.7% rate. No deaths occurred in those aged 9 years and younger, but cases in those aged 70 to 79 years had an 8% fatality rate and those aged 80 years and older had a fatality rate of 14.8%. Currently 2814 Deaths in 82588 Cases.
Based on these Statistics Coronavirus has a mortality rate about the same as the Flu. It also seems to heavily impact the same people. Elderly, people with weak immune systems, and other conditions that make them more susceptible like the Flu.
Again certainly they shoudl do everything they can to mitgate the issue but Unless we are going to say no more events till the Flu and Coronavbirus and other illnesses are irradicated then it seems like a bit of overkill to me. Just my opinion. Would I travel to China? No but then again I would not have traveled to China even before the Corona Virus. Its not exactly a garden spot.
This report does not change the mortality rates or the fact that it is on par with the Flu which the US deals with every year. I would agree if it was something where the mortality rate was much higher or there were other factors like it impacted everyone the same, and was not much more heavily weighted on people fitting certain health demographics like Immune deficiencies, Elderly (70+) etc. Again certainly warrants working toward a solution but my point was that it is no riskier than getting the flu, and I'm pretty sure nobody that attended in previous years was so concerned about the flu that they did not attend. Its the press blowing this way out of proportion, in my opinion.
i think you have got your facts totally wrong, this is not like the flu the US deals with. do some more reading, its 2-4 times more deadly and a lot more contagious. Do you really think there would be all this concern if it was the same as the flu ?? half the restaurants in HK have shut down. all schools have closed for 2 months....
maybe you need to check your facts a little more before you type......
Well said, one thing to note, by official statistics flu has a mortality rate of 0.05% and Covid-19 is 2+% (I'm rounding down to make a point). That's substantially higher mortality rate than the flu, 40x on the low side. Not to mention that 20% of cases require hospital intervention and qualify as severe to critical. Please tell me no one who sees the stats truly believes this is just like the flu???
I believe your poll on this one is skewed. I would think it's a good think for for safety of the Avigilon staff, but bad news for ISC...and possibly a sign of things coming. Not only at ISC, but globally.
Just my opinion of course, but this was an absolutely brilliant move by Motorola.... whatever the intention may be.
Coronavirus is getting the lion's share of the media attention right now and is, for good reason, on everyone's mind. With their decision to pull out of the show 3 weeks prior, this only serves to signify a strategy in my opinion. Why not pull out at the last minute like all the rest of us attendees are considering? Because, to be the first major manufacturer to pull out of the show, they get a ton of free press and have 2/3's of the IPVM community praising how much Motorola cares about its employees, etc.... then, if the outlook gets worse Motorola look like hero's, but if it gets better they can always still attend with a scaled down presence and still be praised and talked about for their efforts. Right now, this feels like the strategy of a company who knows exactly what they are doing. Of course they care about their employees, but you'd better believe they care about their shareholders even more. Well done Motorola, hats off to you.
A large fortune 100 client just pulled back all previously approved travel requests that are not critical to business operations. All travel requests that are not critical to business operations are required to be approved by the CEO with a business case being submitted. ISC West was not critical to business operations.
We have one other large client that still has personnel attending.
Yea, this is the kind of domino I'm talking about with end-users not able to attend.
The real challenge for the exhibitors is drop-dead dates for shipping booths and drayage costs are now, and attendees can easily cancel at the last minute if virus concerns escalate over the next few weeks.
I get all the valid points by all what was said in this discussion. Lets look at the facts. 80k infected almost 3k dead 99% of the deaths in China. In the USA 50 have contracted the virus 0 dead. I am currently scheduled to go to ISC if more people pull out in the next 2 weeks where it is not a good business or personal decision to go I will not go.
Lets look at the facts. 80k infected almost 3k dead 99% of the deaths in China. In the USA 50 have contracted the virus 0 dead.
This is all true. My concern would be when a less deadly virus like this that spreads far and wide easily suddenly mutates to something more deadly or that affects children more than COVID-19 does. It is one thing if it is significantly dangerous from the start and kills the hosts (see: MERS) but another if it is spread everywhere then becomes more deadly.
FYI, if you are flying to this show or anywhere, it would be just plain dumb to not wear a mask and protective eyewear. In the airport, on the plane, at the show, wherever.
IT IS IN THE WILD and this is only going to get worse. It is global, not only from Asian areas.
To have a lax attitude about this will make it go from worse to absolutely dangerous.
Curious as to your strong opinion on wearing a face mask as a way to protect yourself from the disease, as the CDC guidance is to the contrary if you are well, and to only wear one if you are infected (amongst a long list of other things to do).
The link below provides the latest guidance on how to protect yourself assuming you believe the CDC knows something about these type situations.
The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.
Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet)
Via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
Do you also notice a theme on the CDC site with words/phrases of "emerging disease, current thought, it may be possible, can vary, what is known."
It feels like those that disagree with being overly cautious and safe are akin to people on a beach observing a tsunami. "What tsunami? Those are tiny waves out in the distance."
ISC West has provided an updated statement, first here are the parts that are new, addressing Motorola / Avigilon's move and expanding on how they will be protecting health and safety at the show:
While we regret that some companies have made the decision not to take part in ISC West 2020, we are focused on making ISC West 2020 a successful, safe, and enjoyable event for all attendees and exhibitors.
We are constantly reviewing our health protection activities, public health messaging, hygiene and medical control measures with the aim of strengthening our COVID-19 response further in line with up to date public health advice and guidance, including that of the CDC. We will continue to provide updates on our website as we get closer to ISC West. The health and safety of our team members and guests is our utmost priority. Our policies and best practices are in close collaboration with our venue partner, Sands Expo Center. The Sands Emergency Management Team works closely with local officials and are taking appropriate steps to protect team members and guests as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD). Sands is prepared to follow any additional protocols or guidance, as they are made available by the CDC or SNHD.
And here is their statement in full, noting that the first sections of both paragraphs were from their previous statement:
ISC West will occur as scheduled March 17 through 20th, 2020. We take pride in offering vital business opportunities to our customers, including networking, education and access to new products and technologies and are working diligently to ensure ISC West 2020 and our other events live up to our high standards. While we regret that some companies have made the decision not to take part in ISC West 2020, we are focused on making ISC West 2020 a successful, safe, and enjoyable event for all attendees and exhibitors.
Over the last few weeks, Reed Exhibitions and our partners in ISC West have been closely monitoring the COVID-19 virus and its impact on members of the global security community. We are collaborating closely with the Sands Expo Center and local public health authorities and following local, state and federal public health guidelines, including those issued by the CDC.We have additional precautionary measures in place, including enhanced cleaning and sanitization across all public areas and customer touchpoints in the show and we are constantly reviewing our health protection activities, public health messaging, hygiene and medical control measures with the aim of strengthening our COVID-19 response further in line with up to date public health advice and guidance, including that of the CDC.We will continue to provide updates on our website as we get closer to ISC West. The health and safety of our team members and guests is our utmost priority. Our policies and best practices are in close collaboration with our venue partner, Sands Expo Center. The Sands Emergency Management Team works closely with local officials and are taking appropriate steps to protect team members and guests as outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD). Sands is prepared to follow any additional protocols or guidance, as they are made available by the CDC or SNHD.
My dad always said Vegas is a destination for the easily amused. I always laughed until I went. I've been a few times now (for work) and I agree with his statement.
I plan to self-quarantine outside of show hours strictly because I find the place trashy.
This will be the first ISC show I haven't attended in 23 years, but I wasn't planning on going before the virus threat appeared. Now I'm doubly glad I won't be there!
Lol, why I do think that's tin foil as it relates to last-minute cancellations of ISC West booths (considering no refunds and ISC West being the strong show), I think you are on to something about longer-term manufacturers looking for reasons not to exhibit more generally.
On the other hand, most manufacturers are terrible at online marketing so many depend on shows like ISC West for a significant portion of their lead generation.
Overreacting! For those who've been around long enough, this is reminiscent of Y2K. From last October until now there have been an estimated 16,000 to 41,000 deaths due to the "regular" flu. That little statistic has been buried by the news media's sensational hype! We will, of course, be at ISC West 2020.
Don’t tell us. Tell Xi Jinping. That guy quarantined 50 million people for something that you think is less serious than the flu.
In all seriousness, educated people including the CDC understand the flu stats. The issue here is experts agree this new coronavirus is far more contagious and deadly than the flu. This will change if / when vaccines and anti-viral medicines are developed for coronavirus, but that is not the case today.
Never saw it on national news but North Texas small town schools closed due to flu and decontamination earlier this year. Just sensible health management. But as a kid I would love a month out of school like Japan!
John I believe the Chinese quarantine at it's height was over 700 million people.
And for undisclosed25, it's not the totals you should be looking at Coronavirus is just getting started. The vast majority of cases are still unresolved meaning we don't know how many will recover vs pass on (not to mention the total number of cases is impossible to tell with the long asymptomatic infectious incubation period). Instead you need to look at the percentages (which are heavily under reported thanks to the Chinese Communist Party, according to leaked documents in one province it was at least 52 times under reported, meaning 52 times higher case count). Flu mortality rate is 0.05%, Coronavirus is over 2% (that's over 40 times greater if you need help with the math). 20% of all cases require medical intervention and are classified as severe to critical.
When was the last time the flu sent 20% of those infected to the hospital? What happens when the hospitals are overwhelmed and those people don't receive needed medical care? This time I'll let you do math.
Oh other fun questions to consider, when was the last time a western nation quarantined it's citizen's on such as scale as is happening in Italy right now? How about the unprecedent amount of border closures? China letting their own economy tank? Does happen during flu season? How about back during SARs? MERs? Bird flu? Swine flu? How about Ebola, that one is pretty nasty right? Yeah I don't recall any of those viruses causing this much disruption. Of course the media hyped all of them up, and funny enough for the first month and change I feel like the media was doing the opposite with this and down playing it.
Oh well make up your own mind 25, but you might want to stop comparing this to the common flu (your comments will not age well I feel, and if you open your mouth around someone like me you might find a bunch of facts crammed down it none to gently).
Let's keep our powder dry and talk about this the week before the show. MIPS was just last week and there were no concerns. A lot can happen in 3 weeks. I do agree that at this moment it seems that in 3 weeks the virus will be more widespread and that going to ISC West will be an unacceptable risk.
However; there is a possibility that things will be getting more under control by then.
I agree that the more likely scenario is the first one. But let's revisit a week before the event....
MIPS was just last week and there were no concerns.
... and on that day, that fateful day the Milestone MIPS-20 virus began. By mid-2021 the population of Denmark was depopulated by Milestone employees returning from their impossible to cancel trade show.
[SiriusXM] The network has also put in place a set of rules. It’s banned international business travel, telling staffers who have already booked trips to cancel them, and telling staff who have been in contact with anyone who’s been in China, Iran, Italy, Japan or South Korea to stay home for 14 days.
The decisions are so much harder for those with booths right now. As equipment needs to be moved on-site, reservations are already in place for the larger events... the logistics of scale hurt.
Attendees? We can pull out the day prior with so much less impact. Sure, we may have partners, customers, etc to attend with, but the reality is there is less financially tied to the event today. I'm happy to not have to make the final call for at least another week.
I spent this week on RSA Conference and didn't see anything extraordinary, only a handful number of people with masks. I am not sure how many people usually go to RSA in previous years, but it looks similar to the "normal" ISC West amount of people.
So far, I am planning to go on ISC West as well, unless it is officially canceled.
Update: Avigilon's booth has been removed from the show floor and is now available for sale, starting at ~$120,000:
Note: that's just the concrete, you would need to furnish it, get a booth, ship it, set it up, etc. Related: The Hanwha Techwin Million Dollar ISC West Booth. The ex-Avigilon booth, all-in, will not be a million but it will certainly be hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I would assume it's going to be filled but likely be sliding someone up, it would be one wild move for a new exhibitor to buy it now.
Amazon has also backed out of Game Developer Conference (along with Microsoft, Sony, Facebook, and others) as well as ban any travel and seemingly restricted in person interviews.
Measles and Chickenpox outbreak in the early 20th century had entire communities self quarantine. Signs on houses "No In No Out". Family stories of kids out of school for 2 weeks and having to entertain themselves while sequestered with claustrophobic siblings. The difference today is economic globalization. The coming economic re-organization of USA self-sufficiency has been predicted since Walmart became dominant reseller of Chinese produced goods. the past 30 years of outsourcing made fortunes for some and the masses have lived better with lower cost goods...... but, once started, the correction will benefit a majority of the USA.... and arrest China trajectory of domination. The stock market adjustment is out of control (4k in 3 days)..... but passed 4 years proves USA workers, left to its own devices, still thrives.... and will continue to thrive. That said..... skipping my travels this spring. My company spent the last 5 years developing processes making all projects remote supported.
I'm conflicted as I don't know if this is a real threat / worry or another media induced "panic" that's also being politicized because... well.... everything is now
Not surprising the survey results seemed split as well
Guess all we can do is monitor the news leading up to March 16 and make our own individual decisions at that time
Interesting. But even if it detected base line that wast correct, but consistent, they would still be able to identify a person based on a higher baseline. At least that what I am hoping they are doing!
At the start of February I was in a foreign country and they took all passengers temperatures. Surprisingly, when I flew back to the US - nothing!
The use of thermal cameras for fever detection is really just a bad application of technology.
Besides, if it did work, can you image the chaos of someone at the booth being detected as having a high temp? What if that person just worked up a bit of a sweat from walking around?
Yes; it could easily turn into a Salem witch hunt situation in its most severe misapplication, and into an embarrassing invasion of privacy at the very least.
When is John H going to start a ISC West pool? with floating odds for percent of companies canceling before whole show is cancelled and over/under odds?
I get posting things that are publicly available, but is it now a acceptable to post personal emails with the senders name for 10,000+ to see? Aside from internal review, I'm sure email is assumed to be a private conversation.
The fees paid to Reed/SIA are just the beginning when you consider potential loss as a result of pulling out or a total cancelation. If you have anything larger than a 10x20 you most likely use a booth contractor for the assembly/disassembly and the local delivery of the booth itself. Prepaid rooms, flights, off site meeting venues (prepaid). All in all if Reed does decide to cancel (which I doubt will happen) it will be a contractual mess to say the least.
John, Like I mentioned it would be determined by the contract with the exhibit contractor. I know that we have paid a substantial deposit (which is the norm) and usually only get an invoice after the event for any additional fees.
I think one of the greatest dangers of cancelling ISC West for REED is if they can't reschedule because the big players already have the first half of the year mapped out and there is no ISC West this year, companies who normally exhibit every year will have growth metrics without an ISC West.
These metrics might show average or greater growth YoY without spending $200K to $2M on a single trade show. Now the question is, could that money spent wisely on something other than ISC West? Maybe smaller exclusive customer experiences, reinvestment into technology or talent, etc. With talent pool so dry, maybe this year we scalp our competitors' talent by paying them more instead of going to a trade show, as an example.
Now the question is, could that money spent wisely on something other than ISC West? Maybe smaller exclusive customer experiences, reinvestment into technology or talent, etc.
In general, if Coronavirus changes longer-term norms for travel, it is going to mean a lot of older manufacturers will need to improve how to market and sell online, which is foreign to many.
According to John Hopkins CSSE, the US gained two cases today, and two cases yesterday for a total of 66 confirmed cases. Of those, seven are shown as being totally recovered. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
I'm still planning on exhibiting, subject to last minute change.
This is a fascinating marketing statement. On the one hand, declaring it like that inspires confidence it will be held. If they said something like 'we plan' or '90% certain', this might engender more people to cancel to avoid the uncertainty.
The problem here is the show does not start for another 15 days. Even if Reed is determined to have the show run short of a US government order that they cannot, a lot can happen in 15 days with a virus that has the ability to spread exponentially. They must know this and know there is a real chance they will have to postpone or cancel.
And if it does get postponed or cancelled last-minute after this definitive declaration, there's going to be quite a debate and potential litigation between the larger exhibitors who have a lot of money at a stake and are trying to figure out what to do in the run-up to the show.
Simultaneously bold and stupid. As Undisclosed #10 pointed out the demographics are not in their favor. If they put together a Venn diagram there would only be one circle.
SXSW (South by Southwest) scheduled for the same week in Austin has said the show will go on though there is an online petition asking to cancel. I think if JCI and perhaps one more large exhibitor pulls out this week, it will be a catalyst for others to cancel. If they announce they are still in, others will stay as well - I’m on the fence personally- even in China where it ran rampant, the virus only infected a tiny percentage of the population, 80k cases on over a billion people in very tight quarters. While it is scary and no one wants to be in harms way or catch it unnecessarily, the risk feels a tad overblown ?
even in China where it ran rampant, the virus only infected a tiny percentage of the population, 80k cases on over a billion people in very tight quarters
#41, please do not evaluate coronavirus based on that.
First, the 80k cases reported are radically less than what actually have occurred. Virtually everyone, even pro-PRC supporters, acknowledges this (PRC supporters will say this is because it is always difficult to determine exact figures in a crisis, rather than a coverup). As an example of the issues, the district with 100,000 people where the infamous banquet for 40,000 people was held while the initial coverup was happening, had released no official figures of infected weeks after this became public.
Secondly, to the extent that the real case numbers are in the hundreds of thousands instead of tens of millions, it is because of the mass national shutdown of public activity for the past month in China. Virtually no one in subways, public areas, certainly not tradeshows, etc. If people were out there, the number of cases would certainly blow up, both PRC and international experts understand this.
It does but even if 80M, that’s what, 5% of the population? I don’t want to be insensitive, just thinking risk. I don’t want to be caught up in an irrational fear - that seems even more contagious !
It does but even if 80M, that’s what, 5% of the population?
Yes but that would be in just a month or two. Viruses spread exponentially, give it 6 months or a year, etc.
Here is a well thought out coronavirus podcast with Harvard epidemiologist Marc Lepsitch in which he "predicts that between 40 to 70 percent of adults in the world will become infected with the coronavirus."
Slowing down the spread of coronavirus is important to give time to develop methods to treat it, anti-viral medicines, vaccines, etc. Having people go out in mass and infect each other right away is dangerous for both the public at large (overloading the system) and individuals generally.
GTFO of here with all your much ado about nothing BS.
I get why people are skeptical. The repeated virus scares over the years could feel like the boy crying wolf. SARS, MERS, swine flu, Zika, and so on did not wipe out the world. The person who thinks that does not understand that we have to respond seriously and with great urgency. Those other virii may not have resulted in mass death but that should be considered a success. A failure, while proving that the wolf is real, would result in catastrophic consequences. Mutation/evolution is a real concern here. The more iterations the greater the chance of evolution of something much worse. Mass expos could offer up a lot of human bodies for iterations.
I wish yall would all go to all your big events and crowded places
That's the problem. So far, there is not enough data to say that going to a particular event with large, but well-known (everyone is registered), number of people is any worse than just going to your next Walmart or a shopping mall over the weekend, where are thousands unknown people around you. There are so many assumptions and guesses, and not much statistical data yet, that is why some people are skeptical for now.
In earlier posts and various different discussions I actually mean any crowded areas. The airport, the plane, the mall, mass transit, events, etc. all of it is just an inviting "come get me virus scenario."
How does the registered part make any difference? ISC West is not claiming to screen people based on where they have been, who they were exposed to, etc.
number of people is any worse than just going to your next Walmart or a shopping mall over the weekend
The act of going to a trade show involves interacting with and passing by 100x the number of people than most ordinarily do. Hours on an airplane, tens of hours on a show floor with tens of thousands of people, many hours in a crowded hotel / casino, etc.
There are no "strangers" from who knows where. It may have no difference to you, but it makes difference to me. I am talking about the show floor and not other places in Vegas.
The act of going to a trade show involves interacting with and passing by 100x the number of people than most ordinarily do. Hours on an airplane, tens of hours on a show floor with tens of thousands of people, many hours in a crowded hotel / casino, etc.
Millions of people around you are traveling and communicating every day and so far there is no confirmation (or any reliable data) that it is more dangerous to travel to this trade show than do your daily activities. I am not saying the virus itself is not dangerous, it is, but the trade show is not the only one place where you can get infected.
1. In a normal business day, I may not shake hands at all with anyone. At ISC West, I would normally shake hands with tens or hundreds of people. So, everyone I meet we'd have to bump elbows I suppose.
2. In a normal business day, I might touch 3-4 sets of door knobs and hardware. At ISC West, I'd be touching 10 times that or more daily, factoring in restroom doors, etc.
3. In a normal business day, I might come into the 6' range of contact with 10-20 people. At ISC West, it would be in multiples of 100's of times that.
4. In a normal business day, I wouldn't be breathing the funky air inside an aircraft cabin for 3 hours+ and having to touch who knows how many things in the airport and on the plane. I have no control over who sits next to me/behind/in front of. How many times have you NOT heard at least a handful of people hacking and couching on a flight and wishing you could get away from it?
Your mucous membranes takes a beating on flights as well, making them less able to provide your real-time barrier to new germs introduced via your mouth, throat, and eyes.
5. In a normal business day, a few limited people would be touching the food I eat, the cups and glasses I may drink from, and the utensils I use.
6. In a normal business day, I'd be much better rested and hydrated than I would when traveling to and staying in Vegas.
So, would all these risks be present for any trade show? Of course! Always and all the time. The question is >>> Is it really worth it this time around? Is it really worth it at all, i.e. how many times have you worked a trade show and most of the leads really weren't worth the cost?
I've often thought that the risk/reward of these trade shows is getting more difficult to justify as more sophisticated forms of virtual meetings and product demos become increasingly refined.
Trade shows are great for networking and keeping in touch with industry colleagues, as well as being the world's largest job fair, but wondering when the tipping point will come?
Comments (198)
John Honovich
Related, while IPVM has not officially dropped out of our (tiny) ISC West booth (nor would it make a difference), we spoke internally early in the week and only 1 IPVM employee is currently comfortable attending, so while we will be fulfilling our bag obligation, it is unlikely we will be staffing our (tiny) booth.
We do, of course, plan to report on the show.
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #1
I have massive respect for Avigilon for doing this.
This essentially means that other major IP video manufacturers care less about the welfare of their employees and customers than Avigilon unless they pull out, too
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Undisclosed Integrator #2
I would not be comfortable attending. Happy I didn’t book the trip. Too many people from China there. I’m normally not concerned with stuff like this but it’s a huge show with a lot of people from China. Maybe I’m ignorant of reality or maybe I’m being too cautions. But I’m not down.
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #3
They are setting the tone for the industry now.
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Undisclosed Integrator #5
Bravo to Avigilon for making the right decision. Now the rest of the big dominos will follow. To not follow would be irresponsible.
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #6
Smart move by Avigilon. I fully expect to see more companies follow suit and bravo to them for having the courage to make a tough decision.
Just the sheer chance of one person having it there and it spreading should be enough reason. Imagine if all of ISC west had to be quarantined? Not worth it.
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Undisclosed Integrator #5
Axis, Milestone, Genetec should be next.
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Undisclosed Integrator #5
If I'm Avigilon, I still put up signs in their booth (that can't be moved or torn down) to the tune of,
"Due to current Health Concerns, we have elected to choose health, and safety for our employees, customers, partners, and prospects and will not be available in our booth for this year. You can still easily reach us via phone call, video call, email and all communication avenues. See you soon and best of health to all."
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David Collins
I am not surprised.
Although I am UK based in the past 48 hours I have had numerous emails from my corporate customers urging us not to attend their sites until further notice and also wanting to know our individual travel plans for the past 4 weeks.
People are really clamping down on this as a risk mitigation technique.
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Undisclosed #10
IPVM pool on who drops next?
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Undisclosed Distributor #11
Does this mean Avigilon will pass the loss on to us integrators? hahahah
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Howard Kohnstamm
So far, it seems that anyone who might have been exposed has been quarantined and is not in the general population. I plan on manning my little booth at the back of the hall unless something changes in the next two and a half weeks. I can always pull out at the last minute if I need too.
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John Nino
First case in US - Northern California, where person infected did not travel to China or be in direct contact with someone who has the virus. They said it might be “community spread”. Not good.
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #12
A question for the group related to this thread that may provide some context to motivations and approaches for companies and customers leading into ISC-West.
As a related show relative to global security vendors, companies, and customers, in a location with arguably greater risk of coming into contact with someone infected based on regionally identified cases, the UK based Security and Policing Show next week is still scheduled and not cancelling (as of today).
The week after that (and the week before ISC-West) the Border Security Show in San Antonio is still scheduled, with many of the same US based and global manufacturers attending, and no public declarations of anyone pulling out or not attending.
I am curious whether anyone here has heard of any of the major manufacturers pulling out of these other security shows which run back to back leading up to ISC-West, as many of the major vendors being discussed in this thread are listed as exhibitors for these shows, and all will involve travel and exposure in similar (albeit smaller capacity) trade show environments to ISC-West.
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #13
well, i am sitting at home now quarantined because i visited Asia last week,
its not a lot of fun sitting at home having to self quarantine, sitting around the house with my mask on keeping away from the family, being asked did i really need to goto Asia last week.
i guess lots of people will have to do it because of the outbreak in Italy as well last week, and we don't know where the next location will be.
If by chance someone travelling there does get sick even one person , they everyone at the show will end up having to self quarantine.
So I guess its a risk reward decision for everyone.
After this I'm going to try and stay at home for a while!
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Vin Imbesi
"This will blow over, it always has" reminds me of the people refusing to evacuate before a monster hurricane because it's "always been fine".
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #15
I think this is being blown way out of proportion. That is not to say that it is not something to consider however when you look at the facts it becomes very apparent that there are other things any attendee is exposed to year over year that they don't cancel going to the show because of it.
While the impact of flu varies, it places a substantial burden on the health of people in the United States each year. CDC estimates that influenza has resulted in between 9 million – 45 million illnesses, between 140,000 – 810,000 hospitalizations and between 12,000 – 61,000 deaths annually since 2010.
Since 2010 The Flu has resulted in between 1200 and 6100 Deaths a year. Average 3650 per year.
The sample’s overall case-fatality rate was 2.3%, higher than World Health Organization official 0.7% rate. No deaths occurred in those aged 9 years and younger, but cases in those aged 70 to 79 years had an 8% fatality rate and those aged 80 years and older had a fatality rate of 14.8%. Currently 2814 Deaths in 82588 Cases.
Based on these Statistics Coronavirus has a mortality rate about the same as the Flu. It also seems to heavily impact the same people. Elderly, people with weak immune systems, and other conditions that make them more susceptible like the Flu.
Again certainly they shoudl do everything they can to mitgate the issue but Unless we are going to say no more events till the Flu and Coronavbirus and other illnesses are irradicated then it seems like a bit of overkill to me. Just my opinion. Would I travel to China? No but then again I would not have traveled to China even before the Corona Virus. Its not exactly a garden spot.
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Undisclosed Integrator #17
I believe your poll on this one is skewed. I would think it's a good think for for safety of the Avigilon staff, but bad news for ISC...and possibly a sign of things coming. Not only at ISC, but globally.
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Undisclosed Integrator #20
Just my opinion of course, but this was an absolutely brilliant move by Motorola.... whatever the intention may be.
Coronavirus is getting the lion's share of the media attention right now and is, for good reason, on everyone's mind. With their decision to pull out of the show 3 weeks prior, this only serves to signify a strategy in my opinion. Why not pull out at the last minute like all the rest of us attendees are considering? Because, to be the first major manufacturer to pull out of the show, they get a ton of free press and have 2/3's of the IPVM community praising how much Motorola cares about its employees, etc.... then, if the outlook gets worse Motorola look like hero's, but if it gets better they can always still attend with a scaled down presence and still be praised and talked about for their efforts. Right now, this feels like the strategy of a company who knows exactly what they are doing. Of course they care about their employees, but you'd better believe they care about their shareholders even more. Well done Motorola, hats off to you.
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Undisclosed Integrator #4
A large fortune 100 client just pulled back all previously approved travel requests that are not critical to business operations. All travel requests that are not critical to business operations are required to be approved by the CEO with a business case being submitted. ISC West was not critical to business operations.
We have one other large client that still has personnel attending.
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #23
I get all the valid points by all what was said in this discussion. Lets look at the facts. 80k infected almost 3k dead 99% of the deaths in China. In the USA 50 have contracted the virus 0 dead. I am currently scheduled to go to ISC if more people pull out in the next 2 weeks where it is not a good business or personal decision to go I will not go.
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #24
Another exhibitor, Videoloft, have also cancelled: Videoloft - ISC West 2020
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Undisclosed Integrator #5
FYI, if you are flying to this show or anywhere, it would be just plain dumb to not wear a mask and protective eyewear. In the airport, on the plane, at the show, wherever.
IT IS IN THE WILD and this is only going to get worse. It is global, not only from Asian areas.
To have a lax attitude about this will make it go from worse to absolutely dangerous.
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John Honovich
ISC West has provided an updated statement, first here are the parts that are new, addressing Motorola / Avigilon's move and expanding on how they will be protecting health and safety at the show:
And here is their statement in full, noting that the first sections of both paragraphs were from their previous statement:
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Undisclosed Integrator #5
Vegas is a GLOBAL MELTING POT!!! If you go there, self quarantine yourself for the good of all others!!!
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Gil Rene
This will be the first ISC show I haven't attended in 23 years, but I wasn't planning on going before the virus threat appeared. Now I'm doubly glad I won't be there!
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Hal Bennick
02/27/20 06:07pm
Tin foil hat time: manufacturers have been looking for an excuse to stop spending money on trade shows, and now they have it.
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Undisclosed Integrator #25
Overreacting! For those who've been around long enough, this is reminiscent of Y2K. From last October until now there have been an estimated 16,000 to 41,000 deaths due to the "regular" flu. That little statistic has been buried by the news media's sensational hype! We will, of course, be at ISC West 2020.
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #27
Let's keep our powder dry and talk about this the week before the show. MIPS was just last week and there were no concerns. A lot can happen in 3 weeks. I do agree that at this moment it seems that in 3 weeks the virus will be more widespread and that going to ISC West will be an unacceptable risk.
However; there is a possibility that things will be getting more under control by then.
I agree that the more likely scenario is the first one. But let's revisit a week before the event....
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #22
Now things have really gotten “Sirius”!! LOL
[SiriusXM] The network has also put in place a set of rules. It’s banned international business travel, telling staffers who have already booked trips to cancel them, and telling staff who have been in contact with anyone who’s been in China, Iran, Italy, Japan or South Korea to stay home for 14 days.
SiriusXM quarantines top exec, staffers over coronavirus scare
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Undisclosed Integrator #5
My company, which John knows or can look up is now effectively immediately on a travel ban.
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Anthony Jones
Interesting Coronavirus map.
Operations Dashboard for ArcGIS
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abraham lieberman
Israeli scientists: 'In a few weeks, we will have coronavirus vaccine' - The Jerusalem Post
Too bad this won't be ready in time but still thank God is happening
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Undisclosed #29
The decisions are so much harder for those with booths right now. As equipment needs to be moved on-site, reservations are already in place for the larger events... the logistics of scale hurt.
Attendees? We can pull out the day prior with so much less impact. Sure, we may have partners, customers, etc to attend with, but the reality is there is less financially tied to the event today. I'm happy to not have to make the final call for at least another week.
I presume there are plenty of hotel rooms still!
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John Honovich
Update: JCI enacts air travel suspension for all employees:
We do not know how this impacts ISC West yet but are checking and will update as we have feedback.
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John Honovich
Update: Facebook today announced it is cancelling their F8 developer conference which had been scheduled for this May in San Francisco.
If only one of you guys were there to explain to them this is just the flu...
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Valery Dubovets
I spent this week on RSA Conference and didn't see anything extraordinary, only a handful number of people with masks. I am not sure how many people usually go to RSA in previous years, but it looks similar to the "normal" ISC West amount of people.
So far, I am planning to go on ISC West as well, unless it is officially canceled.
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John Honovich
Update: Avigilon's booth has been removed from the show floor and is now available for sale, starting at ~$120,000:
Note: that's just the concrete, you would need to furnish it, get a booth, ship it, set it up, etc. Related: The Hanwha Techwin Million Dollar ISC West Booth. The ex-Avigilon booth, all-in, will not be a million but it will certainly be hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I would assume it's going to be filled but likely be sliding someone up, it would be one wild move for a new exhibitor to buy it now.
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #32
On a related note:
Microsoft, Sony, Facebook, and others drop out of Game Developers Conference (GDC) over coronavirus. This conference is held in San Francisco the same week as ISC West.
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Dori Ribak
02/28/20 01:31pm
Also...
Geneva Motor Show canceled after coronavirus causes government to ban large events
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Ari Erenthal
02/28/20 01:39pm
Coronavirus ‘no-contact, no-handshake policy’ at Seafood Expo in Boston.
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Undisclosed Integrator #26
Measles and Chickenpox outbreak in the early 20th century had entire communities self quarantine. Signs on houses "No In No Out". Family stories of kids out of school for 2 weeks and having to entertain themselves while sequestered with claustrophobic siblings. The difference today is economic globalization. The coming economic re-organization of USA self-sufficiency has been predicted since Walmart became dominant reseller of Chinese produced goods. the past 30 years of outsourcing made fortunes for some and the masses have lived better with lower cost goods...... but, once started, the correction will benefit a majority of the USA.... and arrest China trajectory of domination. The stock market adjustment is out of control (4k in 3 days)..... but passed 4 years proves USA workers, left to its own devices, still thrives.... and will continue to thrive. That said..... skipping my travels this spring. My company spent the last 5 years developing processes making all projects remote supported.
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Undisclosed Distributor #33
Another event cancellation notice
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #34
I'm conflicted as I don't know if this is a real threat / worry or another media induced "panic" that's also being politicized because... well.... everything is now
Not surprising the survey results seemed split as well
Guess all we can do is monitor the news leading up to March 16 and make our own individual decisions at that time
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #35
This would be a great opportunity so showcase cameras that read and alarm on temperature!
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Undisclosed End User #36
JCI seems to be pulling out as well. My JCI rep indicated they have restricted all travel as well.
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Andy Newbom
When is John H going to start a ISC West pool? with floating odds for percent of companies canceling before whole show is cancelled and over/under odds?
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John Honovich
Vaion is making fun of the coronavirus in a new social media post:
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #38
We were informed that JCI would be making an announcement by Monday regarding their participation at ISC West.
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #39
I hope the big exhibitors will pullout and Reed would be forced to cancel and refund us otherwise this is becoming a joke.
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Rick Caruthers
02/29/20 03:05pm
The fees paid to Reed/SIA are just the beginning when you consider potential loss as a result of pulling out or a total cancelation. If you have anything larger than a 10x20 you most likely use a booth contractor for the assembly/disassembly and the local delivery of the booth itself. Prepaid rooms, flights, off site meeting venues (prepaid). All in all if Reed does decide to cancel (which I doubt will happen) it will be a contractual mess to say the least.
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #1
I think one of the greatest dangers of cancelling ISC West for REED is if they can't reschedule because the big players already have the first half of the year mapped out and there is no ISC West this year, companies who normally exhibit every year will have growth metrics without an ISC West.
These metrics might show average or greater growth YoY without spending $200K to $2M on a single trade show. Now the question is, could that money spent wisely on something other than ISC West? Maybe smaller exclusive customer experiences, reinvestment into technology or talent, etc. With talent pool so dry, maybe this year we scalp our competitors' talent by paying them more instead of going to a trade show, as an example.
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #40
France just canceled all public gatherings of 5000 or more....in the, uh, entire country.
France Bans Gatherings of More Than 5,000 Due to Coronavirus - The New York Times
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Howard Kohnstamm
According to John Hopkins CSSE, the US gained two cases today, and two cases yesterday for a total of 66 confirmed cases. Of those, seven are shown as being totally recovered. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
I'm still planning on exhibiting, subject to last minute change.
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John Honovich
Yesterday, ISC West's event director definitely declared that ISC West 'will not be postponed or cancelled':
This is a fascinating marketing statement. On the one hand, declaring it like that inspires confidence it will be held. If they said something like 'we plan' or '90% certain', this might engender more people to cancel to avoid the uncertainty.
The problem here is the show does not start for another 15 days. Even if Reed is determined to have the show run short of a US government order that they cannot, a lot can happen in 15 days with a virus that has the ability to spread exponentially. They must know this and know there is a real chance they will have to postpone or cancel.
And if it does get postponed or cancelled last-minute after this definitive declaration, there's going to be quite a debate and potential litigation between the larger exhibitors who have a lot of money at a stake and are trying to figure out what to do in the run-up to the show.
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John Honovich
The ASEAN summit scheduled to be held March 14th in Las Vegas has now been canceled.
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Anthony Jones
Ceraweek in Houston canceled.
CERAWeek by IHS Markit | The World's Premier Energy Event
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #22
Italy’s number of confirmed cases jumped overnight by 50% to nearly 1,700. There were about 1,000 known cases yesterday.
Italy's coronavirus cases spike to nearly 1,700
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #41
SXSW (South by Southwest) scheduled for the same week in Austin has said the show will go on though there is an online petition asking to cancel. I think if JCI and perhaps one more large exhibitor pulls out this week, it will be a catalyst for others to cancel.
If they announce they are still in, others will stay as well - I’m on the fence personally- even in China where it ran rampant, the virus only infected a tiny percentage of the population, 80k cases on over a billion people in very tight quarters. While it is scary and no one wants to be in harms way or catch it unnecessarily, the risk feels a tad overblown ?
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