How the conference industry sees the reopening of the economy post-Covid

The conference industry took a major hit when the Covid-19 pandemic shut down in-person business gatherings beginning in early 2020. Now a year-plus later, the industry is struggling to get back to normal.
Some conferences are still planning virtual shows for this year while others are gambling on a comeback for in-person meetings.
Physical shows are problematic because of the slow rollout of Covid-19 vaccines as well as corporate restrictions on business travel still in place. State and city government restrictions on gatherings also are a roadblock.

National Restaurant Association Show canceled

Organizers of the National Restaurant Association Show were forced to cancel the event for the second straight year because of limits on gatherings of more than 50 people in the state of Illinois. The in-person event had been scheduled for May 22-25 at McCormick Place in Chicago. (See article by Restaurant Business and Feb. 26 press release.)

Sweets & Snacks Expo holding physical show

Indianapolis apparently has less restrictive requirements for business events amid the Covid-19 pandemic than Chicago. Two conferences I’ve attended in the past are planning in-person events in Indianapolis this summer and fall.
The Sweets & Snacks Expo has scheduled its latest show for June 23-25 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis. The event, sponsored by the National Confectioners Association, is for confectionery and snack retailers, manufacturers and suppliers. The show is moving from Chicago for the first time in its history this year. The 2020 show was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

CEDIA Expo planning in-person show

CEDIA Expo will hold this year’s conference Sept. 1-3 at the Indiana Convention Center. CEDIA Expo is for installers of high-end residential technology, including home theaters and smart home devices. Organizers canceled last year’s show in Denver because of Covid-19 concerns. It offered a virtual show instead.

E3 switches to virtual show

On April 6, the Entertainment Software Association unveiled plans for an all-virtual E3 2021 to be held June 12-15. Last year’s annual video game industry conference in Los Angeles was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic and was not replaced with a virtual show.
Nintendo, Microsoft Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive Software and Warner Bros. Games are among the companies that have committed to participate in E3 2021. (See press release.)

GDC schedules online show

Meanwhile, the Game Developers Conference will again take place online this year. The week-long education- and business-focused event is set to run July 19-23. GDC was online in 2020 as well. (See article by the Hollywood Reporter.)

Google, Microsoft, Apple events staying virtual

The annual Google I/O conference for developers will be held online this year. It will run May 18-20. The 2020 show set for Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, Calif., was canceled because of public health concerns.
Microsoft's annual developers conference, Build, will be a virtual event again this year because of the pandemic. Microsoft Build will run May 25-27.
Apple is holding its annual Worldwide Developers Conference as an online conference for the second straight year. It is set for June 7-11.

Hybrid tech events scheduled

Organizers of MWC Barcelona, formerly known as Mobile World Congress, are pressing ahead with an in-person event in Spain on June 28 through July 1. MWC Barcelona will be a hybrid event with an online component for those who are unable to attend in person. (See article by Fierce Wireless.)
Semi, the global industry association representing the electronics manufacturing and design supply chain, is planning a hybrid event for its Semicon Southeast Asia conference, scheduled for Aug. 23-27. An on-site conference will be held in Singapore at a venue to be announced soon, Semi said in a March 23 press release.

Related articles:

CES bargain: This year’s show is half off (Jan. 27, 2021)

Conference industry not coming back soon as Covid-19 pandemic lingers (Jan. 23, 2021)

E3 2021: Will there be a video game conference this year? (Jan. 20, 2021)

CES 2021 final thoughts: Virtual show comes up short (Jan. 18, 2021)