It’s been a wild couple of weeks with the coronavirus (COVID-19) being declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11. Several unprecedented event postponements and cancellations have been made as a result, such as the NBA postponing its season until further notice, Major League Soccer halting for 30 days, MLB stalling their season by at least two weeks, the popular California music festivals Coachella and Stagecoach being pushed back to October and Austin’s SXSW cancelled altogether. The New York Times has a list they’re keeping updated. For our industry, here’s a list of some events that have faced the same fate amid the coronavirus scare:
Virus KO’s E3 Vidfest
The gigantic consumer video game Electronic Entertainment Expo, known simply as E3, was cancelled this week. The show, scheduled to run June 9-11 in Los Angeles, will instead become an online event where new products like updates on Microsoft’s Xbox will be showcased. Both individual and possibly a coordinated spread of new homevid goods will inform that billion-dollar industry what’s new on a computer screen rather than in the packed aisles of this super show.
IAAPA Expo Asia Pushed to Next Year
Scheduled to take place June 8-11 in Macao, China, IAAPA Expo Asia has been effectively cancelled after being rescheduled for some time in June 2021. “The health and safety of our members and our team is always our top priority,” said Hal McEvoy, president and CEO of IAAPA. “After extensive evaluation and input from members, the IAAPA board of directors has made the decision to postpone IAAPA Expo Asia 2020.” Contact exhibitsales@iaapa.org to discuss options related to the postponement, or to talk with the team about booking space for IAAPA Expo Europe in London in September or IAAPA Expo in Orlando in November (registration for those shows opens in April and May, respectively).
Stern Pro Circuit Championship Postponed
Originally set for March 21, the Stern Pro Circuit Championship has been “postponed to a later date to be determined,” according to Stern. Organizers said tickets to the event will be valid for the rescheduled date.
Arcade Expo 6.0 Nixed for Now
Arcade Expo, which was scheduled for this month in California, has been postponed to a later date (TBA). Ticket and pass-holders will have the option to take a rain check or credit for any other event at the Museum of Pinball in the future.
