After announcing that it will not attend the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona at the end of February, LG Electronics has issued confirmation that it is also withdrawing from the Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2020 trade show amid worries over the coronavirus outbreak.
The reason given in both cases is that following the World Health Organisation’s declaration that the coronavirus outbreak now constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the safety of employees and customers is the company's primary concern.
LG’s brief press statement is quoted below.
SEOUL, Feb. 6, 2020 — Following the World Health Organization’s declaration last week the coronavirus outbreak constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), LG Electronics regrets that it will be withdrawing from Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2020 scheduled for Amsterdam.
LG regrets having to make this difficult decision but the safety of its employees and customers continues to be its number one priority. With the WHO recommending that individuals “promote social distancing,” LG management believed that the most responsible decision is to avoid participating in large public events until the situation stabilizes.
Related meetings and discussions will be rescheduled locally in more private settings. LG Electronics appreciates the support from its business partners and customers for their understanding.
ISE is the world’s largest exhibition for AV and systems integration and runs from 11-14 February 2020, thus, the company had to act quickly and its preemptive move could herald a similar reaction from other exhibitors travelling to Amsterdam from areas closer to the virus epicentre.
A similar comment was released by LG regarding the MWC show which takes place after the ISE exhibition but this does not seem to have paved the way for other exhibitors to take a similar option.
Clearly the human cost is at the forefront of these decisions and companies from the Asia-Pacific region may find their plans hugely disrupted since both shows will have been part of their long term business strategies.
What do AVForums readers think about LG’s decision? Should other companies follow suit or should global exhibitions such as ISE and MWC take the initiative and cancel themselves? Let us know what you think in the discussion thread.
Source: Press release
Image Source: em360tech.com