ISC West Reduces Scope of China Pavilion in Response to Coronavirus

Next month’s ISC West event will still take place as scheduled, but the organizers have been forced to make a few changes in response to the recent outbreak of the coronavirus. Most notably, Reed Exhibitions – which organizes ISC West – has announced that it will be restructuring the China Pavilion and handing the space over to different exhibitors.

The China Pavilion has historically served as a showcase for smaller Chinese companies that rely on the support of larger agencies to make the trip to Las Vegas. However, the U.S. has issued a travel ban that restricts travel to and from China. The ban was implemented on February 2, and will make it impossible for many companies to ship goods and personnel.

Reed Exhibitions noted that the ban will primarily affect smaller companies that are headquartered in China. Many of the larger Chinese corporations have local offices and employees in the U.S., and will still have a presence at ISC West. The organizers have also been communicating with exhibitors to monitor their travel status.

While the coronavirus has made things more difficult for exhibitors, Reed Exhibitions believes that it will not have as much of an effect on attendance. The organization is still expecting to host approximately 30,000 guests over the course of the event, and FindBiometrics will still be attending to provide live coverage from the show floor.

ISC West is scheduled to run from March 17-20 at the Sands Expo Convention Center in Las Vegas. Reed Exhibitions will make hand sanitizer more readily available in public spaces to alleviate any sanitary concerns. The organizers will also work with the Sands Exhibition Center to ensure that guests have access to sufficient health and medical services.

For the moment, Reed Exhibitions is moving forward with ISC West despite the cancellation of MWC Barcelona. The GSMA was forced take dramatic action after several major companies backed out due to concerns about the coronavirus, even though it made repeated assurances that it was taking every precaution to ensure the health and safety of its guests.

Source: SDM Magazine

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February 20, 2020 – by Eric Weiss