CEO DATELINE - New virtual events announced following canceled trade shows
CEO DATELINE - New virtual events announced following canceled trade shows
- April 14, 2020 |
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Walt Williams
Associations are continuing to transform live events into virtual affairs amid uncertainty about how long the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to disrupt travel and face-to-face meetings.
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The National Association of Broadcasters announced Monday that its April trade show in Las Vegas—which had previously been canceled—has been replaced with a virtual event dubbed NAB Show Express, to be held May 13-14. The event will feature three themed channels, each offering eight hours of content that can be streamed daily or made available on demand. Participants will be able to choose from more than 100 educational sessions and interact virtually with exhibitors.
The National Retail Federation recently canceled NRF NXT 2020, a July event focused on e-commerce. Instead, the group said it will provide free digital content for retail e-commerce and marketing leaders, starting this summer. The association held its annual trade show—the NRF Big Show—in January, long before most travel restrictions went in place.
The Toy Association is another group whose main event—Toy Fair New York—was held before COVID-19 bought much of the U.S. to a standstill. (A second event, Toy Fair Dallas, is still scheduled for October.) However, the impacts on the toy and retail industries are expected to be severe, so the group announced it would host a series of week-long, virtual "Toy Fair Everywhere" events later this year to connect toy manufacturers with toy buyers and the media.
"These three virtual market weeks can help answer member and toy community needs," said Marian Bossard, executive vice president of global market events at The Toy Association. "They were not created to replace our existing face-to-face marketplaces (Toy Fair New York and Toy Fair Dallas) but to supplement them and help bridge the gap in industry engagement. The Toy Association has the reach, the resources and the responsibility to play this role for the toy and play community."
The first Toy Fair Everywhere is scheduled for July 13-19.
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