Two major broadcast industry events have been postponed due to concerns over COVID-19 outbreak.
The 2020 edition of Radiodays Europe has been rescheduled. Organizers announced the 2020 event has been rescheduled for Dec. 13–15. It will still be held at Portugal’s Centro de Congresses de Lisbon. All tickets purchased for the original March dates will be honored.
According to an early March email, the Radiodays Europe email, the steering board’s decision was made “after extensive consultation to ensure the health and safety of our participants, speakers, commercial partners and staff.” Niegel cited concerns over travel logistics, crowd safety and other factors related to coronavirus, saying the attendant health risks make “it impossible for Radiodays Europe to hold an event at this time.” This is a significant change from the prior week’s messaging.
Niegel’s announcement promised that new dates for Radiodays Europe will be announced on the event’s website. It is unclear whether the event will still be held in Lisbon, as originally planned.
Additionally, CABSAT has been rescheduled from late March to Oct. 26–28, according to the event’s website. The event will still be held at the Dubai World Trade Center.
CABSAT organizers emphasized that the United Arab Emirates is still open for business: “Whilst the UAE remains completely safe for travel, and has deployed the strictest medical and hygiene protocols, we fully recognise that for some specific shows, we have a high majority of key participants significant to the event’s programme that are unable to travel due to restrictions in their home countries.”
The CABSAT update also notes that the postponement was supported by stakeholders and they expect “greater participation” and “more inclusive access” with the new timeframe.
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Coronavirus jitters are also affecting events scheduled for the summer and late fall. However, “IBC2020 is proceeding as planned, Sept. 11–15 in Amsterdam,” according to a statement updated March 5.
IBC planners said, “We are aware of the concerns that Coronavirus (Covid-19) may be causing and would like to reaffirm our commitment to delivering a safe and successful IBC2020. We are monitoring the situation very closely and will take the advice of the relevant international, national, local authorities and agencies to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all involved with our event in September.”
Organizers noted that they “ will ensure that IBC2020 is fully compliant with all required regulations,“ including those they expect European Union health authorities to publish soon.
