As we said back in early September [1] the Delta Variant is giving exhibitors the excuse NOT to spend money on exhibiting at #Infocomm21 this October in Orlando, FL. and, as we can see from the latest news from Sony, #NABShow as well.
This week Sony officially announced that they would not attend either #NABShow or #InfoComm21.
Theresa Alesso, Pro Division President, Sony Electronics said “Sony Electronics has been closely monitoring the evolving situation of the COVID-19 Delta variant. With October on the horizon, we’ve considered the unprecedented circumstances and made the difficult decision that we will not be participating in person at next month’s NAB Show or InfoComm. While these events are an important forum to reach our customers and introduce new products, this is a choice we made to ensure we’re putting our employees’ and our partners’ health and well-being first. As the world continues to grapple with the pandemic and businesses adopt digital alternatives and online opportunities to prevent the spread of the virus, Sony Electronics will continue to communicate and engage with our customers and partners in interactive, accessible ways that allow us to safely deliver exciting product news and updates to a wide online audience. We’ll continue to monitor the situation and look forward to participating at industry events in-person at some point in the future”.
They join PTZOptic. HuddlecamHD and Digital Projection in officially withdrawing from #Infocomm21.
There are currently now only 417 exhibitors registered for #Infocomm21 next month – which is HALF the number that exhibited in 2019 (there was no show in 2020).
Even AVIXA CEO David Labuskes, interviewed this week by AVNation TV’s Tim Albright said “almost assuredly” some other exhibitors were going to drop out.