The Last Time The NAB Postponed Was 1945
And a World War was the reason then. On Wednesday morning, the NAB Executive Committee, by unanimous vote, decided to cancel the April NAB Show and explore other options once the coronavirus situation clears up.
With an event that takes a year to organize, creates what amounts to a small city, and brings together over 100,000 people from around the world, the NAB will certainly take a financial hit from this. It’s not like you can create a massive event like The NAB Show in a few weeks. There’s so much to organize, not only from the NAB’s convention team, vendors need to make plans, attendees have to make reservations, and the Convention Center has to be available. The coronavirus crisis is real and there was no pushback at all when the NAB Executive Committee voted.
In making the announcement to postpone, Wednesday, NAB CEO Gordon Smith said keeping the vendor and attendee community safe and healthy is NAB’s highest priority.
So what’s next? If the situation clears up quickly, perhaps the NAB could organize an event in Las Vegas, on a smaller scale, in July or August, we are told. Another option is expanding the NAB Show in New York, which is now 10 years old and draws 15,000 people to the Javitz Center in the Fall.
Of course, everything is contingent on what happens with the virus and whether it’s contained or not. Right now it appears the situation is day-to-day.
The NAB Show has been taking place since 1923.
The RAB Board meeting which was scheduled for Miami later this month will be held virtually.
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