The National Association of Broadcasters has canceled its annual Las Vegas convention, one of the largest annual trade shows in the United States, due to an increase in Covid-19 infections.
The rise of the Delta variant has devastated a number of plans across society, but particularly in the media business and for large gatherings. Washington, DC-based NAB is the trade group and lobbying organization for the broadcasting industry. While local and network television have faced increasing problems as streaming becomes an important form of distribution, the NAB remains a force in the DC media mix.
Gordon Smith, the former Republican Senator from Oregon, has headed the NAB since 2009. In a statement, he regretted the cancellation. “It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that we will not be holding the NAB Show in person this year as originally planned,” he said. “IIt turns out that we will not be able to offer the NAB show experience 2021 that our industry is now expecting or that meets the high standards that we set ourselves. “
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When announcing the cancellation in 2021, the NAB stated that the show is scheduled for April 23-27, 2022 next year.
The NAB show typically attracts tens of thousands of visitors from around the world. While traditional “big iron” devices were dwarfed by streaming, the postponement was a boon to the show as a number of streaming technology players came to Vegas for the event. In 2020, the annual spring edition was held virtually due to Covid, with the show being postponed to fall in 2021 in the hopes that it could be staged in person. Since the infection rates remained stubbornly high, especially in Las Vegas, the spread of the event and the travel element made it impossible to continue.
CinemaCon, a smaller event, was hosted in person in Las Vegas last month, but the NAB show is big enough that a vaccine mandate and other protocols would be difficult to enforce. In 2019, more than 91,000 people attended the show, according to NAB, which takes on the Las Vegas Convention Center as well as a number of surrounding hotels on and off the Strip each year.
Chris Brown, EVP and managing director of Global Connections and Events at NAB, said the organization had been preparing for more than a year. “Unfortunately, the pandemic and the rise in the Delta variant have presented unexpected and insurmountable challenges for our global community,” he said in a statement. “Having always considered the best interests and safety of the industry as our priority, in the face of these challenges, it has become apparent that we can no longer effectively host the NAB Show or our joint events, the Radio Show and Sales Management Television Exchange, personally.”
Following Smith’s comments, he added, “We will not get ahead on a show that offers less than the excellence that our community expects and deserves. While we’re disappointed we won’t be back in person next month, we look forward to meeting up at NAB Show 2022 from April 23-27, 2022 to rekindle our passion for our business and look forward to a brilliant Focus on the future. “
