NAB Show cancelled due to COVID-19, but alternative options are being considered

If there were ever an organization that could hold a conference online, it could be the National Association of *Broadcasters*. (Meanwhile, much of my profession of higher education is moving online for now.) Of course, broadcast industry people need some hands-on with new products; just better with small-scale demos, not huge, crowded venues.

Mar 14, 2020permalink

cdembrey

The McLaren F1 Team has withdrawn from the Australian GP. A crew member has tested positive https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/mclaren-withdraw-from-the-australian-grand-prix/ar-BB115pMC

This is a Big Deal. A lot of big money sponsors will not have their name seen by viewers world-wide.

Mar 13, 2020permalink

Spectro

CV19 has cancelled a lot of events in Seattle area. No gathering over 250+. We got hit with the most dealth in the US, but almost all were very old, sadly. A comic con convention that last year drew 95,000 people, but the demographic is very young.

The CV19 is very contagious like the flu.. Most young healthy people with no underlying health condition will get a fever and be fine after a few weeks (2), like most flu. But if you are 60+ then that is the danger zone. 80% of CV19 death are 60+. It has a higher chance of causing pneumonia then the flu, so if you are a smoker, have difficulty breathing via bad respiratory system, etc you need to stay away from large group. I did talked to a friend who is a RN, she just said wash your hands, etc.

Mar 12, 2020*permalink

cdembrey

The over 60 cohort sound like North American DSLR users ;-) Seriously many many Advanced Amateurs fit the description. I was born before WW2, and well over 60 y.o.

Mar 13, 2020permalink

If a RN just says that, you know this panic is all about hype.

Mar 13, 2020permalink

@jkokich a RN recommending hand-washing does not render the rest hype; and that is certainly not the _only_ action that medical experts are recommending. Perhaps you should listen more to what people like Anthony Fauci of the CDC are saying about other strategies like social distancing, self-quarantine if you have symptoms or close contact with infected people, and so on.

Mar 14, 2020permalink

BJL I love that term, self quarantine. You mean stay home, like what sensible people do when they’re sick?

Mar 15, 2020permalink

@jkokich ImThis quarantine is for more than staying home when you feel sick: it is also about isolating yourself when you do not have symptoms but might be infected and contagious due to close exposure to other infected people, or a positive test. One of the hazards with COVID-19 is that people can be contagious for quite a while before having symptoms—or even never have symptoms, which I have read is somewhat common with infected children.

A question: do you actually believe that hand-washing is the only recommendation, based on the second hand report of what one anonymous RN said, notwithstanding what major medical sources are recommending?

Mar 15, 2020permalink

Many major medical sources are saying the same thing: wash your hands and stay home when you’re sick. Do you actually believe all the hype the media is pushing? Economies are being destroyed by this irrational panic. In CA, a state of almost 40 million, the governor has declared a state of emergency because of less than 300 cases.

Mar 15, 2020permalink

Medical sources are recommending more than that. They are also recommending social distancing (avoiding big crowds, keeping at least two yards from other people, isolating yourself even if just possibly infected, not only when sick — and when it’s gets bad enough, medical experts are recommending lock downs of whole regions, such as the ones in Italy, Spain and elsewhere. That is a lot more than the “hand washing and stay home when you are sick” of a typical flu season

Mar 15, 2020permalink

I think I see our misunderstanding: you are looking at the recommendations for individuals in the normal situation, and that is mostly normal preventative measures, since there is no vaccination. The difference is with community-wide measures in places where “community spread” has become substantial; fortunately not much of that in the USA, but look at places like Italy where so many people need intensive care bass and respirators that the hospitals are struggling to keep up, and sending other patients home early or with less than normal treatment so as to handle COVID-19 cases. This goes not happen in a typical flu season

But we probably agree that there some things like toilet paper hoarding are panicky over-reactions

Mar 15, 2020permalink

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/workplace-school-and-home-guidance.pdf

And avoid handshaking amongst other suggestions! What the CDC is advising

Mar 15, 2020permalink

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/prevention.html

More CDC advice

Mar 15, 2020permalink

One more on the theme of listen to the doctors more than the possibly self-interested politicians or ratings-driven journalists:
https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2020/03/a-covid-19-coronavirus-update-from-concerned-physicians.html

Mar 15, 2020permalink

Panic, all panic. You stay locked up at home. I’m going to live my life.

Mar 15, 2020permalink

SteveCooper

This is a good thing- companies can produce videos "in house" and post them on YouTube or on their own company's website for dissemination. We can all watch and listen without the noise of the trade show floor and without people bumping into you constantly. Yes, it isn't ideal because we can't hold the gear, look thru the gear, or ask questions, but who wants to get on an airplane right now anyway? :)

Mar 12, 2020permalink

Magnar W

Shows like this can be run later.

Now everything is about people, health and safety.

Mar 12, 2020permalink

One can question the importance of such events compared to the influence of Youtube and sites like DPR have on the industry.

At these shows.
One can hold a camera for a minute. All camera settings have been changed by people before you. Pictures always come out as rubbish and the person behind you is riding you up to hurry up.

If one wants to see a camera then just go to a descent camera store.
Get a cup of coffee and talk over your wants and needs and see which camera fits best for you.

As for BtoB; Sales deals will still be made by account managers, just not on the booth floor.

Shows like this are a nice days outing, but you learn nothing.

Mar 12, 2020*permalink

aarif

everything will stop eventually

Mar 12, 2020permalink

Except time....

Mar 12, 2020permalink

Time too

Mar 12, 2020permalink

No Mortal Lion - There will be a time before time stopped and a time after time stopped ;)

Mar 12, 2020permalink

Now you are making an argument time doesn't stop by saying it stops and before and after it stops there is time.
There is time now. When it stops it will stop forever for this universe which will just simply not exist any more. Maybe there will be new Universes with time, maybe there is time on multiverse level. Maybe that will stop at some point too. We can't know.

Mar 12, 2020permalink

Well indeed we can't know. But still there will always be a time before and after.

I am not so much into science as it has been long time that I went to university. However I do watch scientific documentaries over space. Many scientist working within that area are more and more convinced that our universe is actually part of a multiverse. It all goes beyond my own imagination. But I do find it fascinating how much we discover.

Mar 12, 2020*permalink

The multiverse is a mathematical derivation. If true I wonder what you and I have done wrong in our lives to end up in this particular version of it where an egotistical clown is President of the US of A.

Mar 13, 2020permalink

(unknown member)

trade shows have generally outlived their usefulness some time ago. especially those large events for the unwashed masses. photokina for example will cease to exist, just like CEBIT and similar, once important tradeshows have died some years ago.

all the information i need is decent product information online: detailed, clear 360 degree product images along with a fully detailed spec sheet and price, terms and conditions. no videos, no youtube, no vlogs please - neither by dpr nor by froknowsnothing.

If I am interested based on detailed online product information, they can send me a unit home for my personal review. if i like it, i'll buy it, if not, i return.

thats all i need in 2020. trade shows? nope . not befn to one for the last 20 years.

Mar 12, 2020permalink

Pierre Louis

Interesting. No benefit to you so therefore no benefit in general, right? (Ie. Generally useless and should be cancelled for everyone?) With "I rule the world" thinking like that I'm going to take a guess that you're American. Am I right? 😉

Mar 12, 2020permalink

(unknown member)

No and no. :-)

I just stated the some facts and my preferences, which I know are shared by majority of people, everywhere. Fact is: trade shows dying left and right despite protracted business efforts by trade fair ground/operators to keep them artificially alive (see photokina / Messe Köln struggles or CEBIT/Hannover - the end came 2018, after more than 10 years of steady decline).

Why? Simple: because there is no more need for them. In "pre-internet times" trade fairs were one of the essential ways to gather information, meet customers, potential customers, competitors, "influencers" in the industry, regulators, general public. To inform and be informed. I participated myself in many a trade fair - both on exhibition stands and as regular visitor/attendee.

Today? No need any longer. As evidenced not only by me but by overwhelming majority of people. Internet / online information. Better, less effort, significantly lower cost. More efficient and more effective.

Mar 13, 2020permalink

macjonny1

my faith has been restored in the community here. 20 posts so far and not one "I can't believe this it's just like the flu".

This is a huge public health issue, and this is necessary.

Mar 12, 2020permalink

Barney Britton

Yeah those commenters seem to be dropping away, finally. Thank goodness. "Fear is the real virus, don't believe the media spin" etc.

Mar 12, 2020permalink

TheWintermute

It didn’t last long. Now there is lot of those comments here.

Mar 12, 2020permalink

brn

Yea, different opinions are bad.

Mar 14, 2020permalink

Barney Britton

Different opinions are fine. But there's a difference between opinion and fact.

Mar 14, 2020permalink

dmartin92

Might be easier to just report what is NOT being cancelled. If, by some rare fluke, there still is something major going on.

Mar 12, 2020permalink

robertfel

So many people have already booked tickets.
I wouldn't be surprised if small groups decide to do meetups.

Mar 12, 2020permalink

NotAPhotog

Yea I'm heartbroken by all of these cancellations for major photography events...but still tell us what's new dammit! Use Twitter or something!!!

Mar 12, 2020permalink

cdembrey

NAB isn't a just photography event. There is more to broadcasting than cameras. https://atci.com/dh-antennas.html and https://pro.focusrite.com/ and https://www.intekdigital.com/page/?M2_IDX=7068 and https://matrox.com/en/ are non-photo exhibitors. There 1,635 exhibitors according to the NAB brochure below.

https://nabshow.com/2020/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2019/11/NSLV-2019-Demo-Report-1.pdf The exhibitors list runs from page 12 to page 19.

Mar 12, 2020permalink

Ebeay

Soooooo now what? Skype interviews with Jeremy, Ted and the likes?

Mar 11, 2020permalink

StarLord

My idea for an alternative.

All the vendors submit their gear and press-releases to Chris and Jordan. They can then make some cool videos and post them here. Richard can film some with the X-T4 too. Maybe Jordan can lend Dale a GH5 (I doubt he'll give up the S1H). They all should use hand sanitizer before touching the gear though.

Mar 11, 2020*permalink

onlyfreeman

Oh so we aren't supposed to pour bleach on our cameras, just use hand sanitizer?

I should stop paying attention to those Fakebook messages.

Mar 12, 2020permalink

entoman

We'll be depending even more on the excellent reviews on dpr and elsewhere, as with all these shows cancelled or postponed there will be fewer opportunities for hands-on "test drives" with new cameras.

People will be mostly buying on-line now, as many will consider visiting stores in crowded cities too risky, while coronavirus is rampant.

A great opportunity for dpr to expand the reviews and consider e.g. 360 degree rotating images, and more feedback from various members of staff about how they rate the camera's ergonomics, menus, viewfinders etc.

How about it dpr?

Mar 11, 2020*permalink

The biggest problem is that vaccation/ travel this year will drop crazy hard. And without new stuff to photograph people won't buy new cameras

In many countries, even the wedding season will fall flat

Mar 11, 2020permalink

entoman

panther - I absolutely agree.

Many hobbyists do most of their photography while on holiday, so if there is no holiday, there will be much less demand for new cameras. At least there will be less pressure on camera manuacturers, giving them a bit of breathing space in a time when the supply chain is interrupted.

Also quite a substantial number of semi-pro and pro photographers will be unable to visit the countries where they usually work. In my case I normally spend about 8 months traveling each year, visiting every corner of the Earth. Clearly at least some of my planned trips this year will be cancelled, and I'll have less urgent need for a new camera (my current Canons are ageing and battered, with 200,000+ shutter actuations).

Mar 11, 2020permalink

4sofnature

Another excuse for Sony to delay A7s3 release.

Mar 11, 2020permalink

Oh no. You're creative life has ground to a halt. You absolutely need the A7s III. Until then everything is pointless.

Mar 12, 2020permalink

How many photographer/videographer shows are there?
Will we get a cancelation announcement for every single one?

As countries step up their response you can expect a 100% cancellation rate

Mar 11, 2020permalink

Dale Baskin

NAB probably deserves a mention given its size and importance to the industry.

Mar 11, 2020permalink

Horshack

@pantherfan, NAB had almost 100k attendees last year. That makes it one of the largest trade shows in the country, and that's across all categories, not just specific to broadcast/camera tech.

Mar 11, 2020permalink

Oh, I understand the announcement for NAB. Just genuinely how many shows are there?

Mar 11, 2020permalink

sohus

Big ones CP+, NAB and Photokina. First two are cancelled already.

Soon every conference, every large event, every sports event etc. wil be cancelled and this is likely to last for months (In Europe until summer at least).

Mar 11, 2020permalink

Barney Britton

And The Photography Show in the UK, also now canceled and postponed until September.

Mar 11, 2020permalink