Tech firm withdraws from Vegas event over virus fears
A leading Ottawa tech firm has announced it will not send employees to the broadcast industry’s marquee trade show in Las Vegas because of concerns about the spreading novel coronavirus.
Ross Video is one of at least seven companies that have said they will not be attending the 2020 NAB Show, where exhibitors from around the world showcase their latest innovations to broadcast industry executives, live event producers and the public.
Ross Video normally sends 200 employees to the National Association of Broadcasters’ trade show, which draws more than 100,000 visitors.
This week, however, the firm decided it couldn’t risk exposing its employees, their families, or potential customers to the coronavirus known as COVID-19. The company normally spends $3 million at the trade show.
“Last week we saw the virus spread from a few locations to, literally, right across the country,” said David Ross, chief executive of Ross Video, a firm that makes equipment for the TV and video production industry.
“That was the real eye-opener: We realized this is not contained, this is a very dynamic situation.”
The 2020 NAB Show is scheduled for April 18-22 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, but Ross Video will only be participating remotely through online presentations.
Founded in 1974, Ross Video has more than 400 employees worldwide; its products include specialized cameras, graphics systems, video processors and mobile units.
Ross said it was a difficult decision to withdraw from his industry’s most important trade show, but a series of thought experiments made the choice easier for the senior management team. They asked themselves, Ross said, what they would do if an employee fell ill in Las Vegas.
“Do you put them on a plane to go home? Can you put them on a plane? If they stay, who stays with them? For how long? And if we’ve been interacting with that person, do we immediately self-isolate? Do we tell everyone we interact with that they may have been exposed?
“We didn’t have a lot of really good answers to any of those questions.”
Health officials in Las Vegas have reported two COVID-19 cases in the area.
Many companies have put travel restrictions in place because of the continuing spread of the coronavirus. Late last month, Shopify cancelled its annual conference due to concerns related to COVID-19. The conference was supposed to be held in Toronto on May 7.
Federal public health officials are now advising all travellers returning to Canada from any destination to monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 for two weeks. Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, cough and breathing trouble. Most develop only mild symptoms, but some people — usually those with weakened immune systems — develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal.