Coronavirus-canceled events: A rolling list of scrapped plans amid the outbreak
As coronavirus concerns spread across the world, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls an “emerging, rapidly evolving situation,” businesses are scrambling to take precautions to curb the spread of the disease. Here’s an up-to-date list of events that have been canceled in light of the global epidemic.
Blizzard Overwatch League Games (2/29-3/22) — Seoul, South Korea
The gaming company, a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard (ATVI), has canceled a series of the e-sports matches “in order to protect the health and safety of our players, fans, and staff.”
Geneva Motor Show (3/2-3/15) — Geneva, Switzerland
The auto convention is canceled after Switzerland's Federal Office of Public Health placed a ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 people through at least March 15. "We regret this situation, but the health of all participants is our and our exhibitors' top priority,” organizers said in a statement.
Beautycounter Leadership Conference (3/5-3/7) — San Francisco, California
The cosmetics company is canceling its summit “due to the serious concerns posed by the spread of COVID-19, and in light of the recent state of emergency declaration by the City of San Francisco and the increased warnings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” Instead, the brand will livestream its event from Los Angeles on Friday, March 6, 2020.
Facebook’s Global Marketing Summit (3/9-3/12) — San Francisco, California
Over 4,000 participants were set to gather at the Moscone Center for Facebook’s (FB) marketing summit. “Out of an abundance of caution, we canceled our global marketing summit due to evolving public health risks related to coronavirus,” a Facebook spokesman told Reuters.
Game Developers Conference (3/16-3/20) — San Francisco, California
As of Thursday afternoon, the GDC is still on. But major participants like Microsoft (MSFT), Facebook, Electronic Arts (EA), Sony (SNE), and Unity have pulled out, citing health and safety concerns.
Shanghai and Beijing Fashion Weeks (3/25-3/31) — China
China’s two largest cities have indefinitely postponed their strings of fashion shows. The Shanghai show has grown to “become one of the most powerful regional fashion weeks with a big talent pool and strong Chinese spending,” according to WWD.
Milan Furniture Fair (4/21-4/26) — Milan, Italy
Salone del Mobile is the largest furniture and design show of its kind, attracting over 434,500 attendees in 2018. Originally scheduled for April, the event has been postponed until June 16.
Watches and Wonders (4/25-4/29) — Geneva, Switzerland
The biggest luxury watch trade show has been canceled. According to organizer The Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie, the decision was made “in order to protect the health and well-being of all our guests, press, partners and teams.”
Facebook’s F8 Developer Conference (5/5-5/6) — San Jose, California
This annual tentpole event attracted over 5,000 developers last year. In place of the in-person F8 event, Facebook is planning other ways for the developer community to get together through a combo of locally hosted events, videos and live streamed content, according to Facebook Director of Platform Partnerships Konstantinos Papamiltiadis.
Please check back for more updates.
Melody Hahm is Yahoo Finance’s west coast correspondent, covering entrepreneurship, technology and culture. Follow her on Twitter @melodyhahm. Read more:
WNBA Commissioner: ‘We have a marketing problem’
Lululemon exec: Mental health is the 'next major step in our journey'
How Barbie has survived for over 60 years in a ‘volatile’ toy industry
Land O’Lakes CEO: Rural America is the new inner city
Steph Curry won’t invest in CBD, blockchain, or gambling
