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Coronavirus and the Tech Industry: The Mecca Minute

The article discusses the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the technology industry, focusing particularly on international trade events which are a key component for tech companies to showcase their innovations. With travel restrictions and event cancellations, the tech industry is witnessing significant disruptions, particularly in regions like China.

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By Ben Thomas · CancelledCoronavirusEventsGerry Mecca
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Coronavirus and the Tech Industry: The Mecca Minute

Key takeaways

01

International trade events are critical for tech firms to test market waters and showcase products.

02

Many major global trade events are being cancelled or rescheduled due to coronavirus, impacting related industries.

03

There is optimism that coronavirus spread will be controlled, which may provide stock buying opportunities.

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Today I’d like to talk a little coronavirus and its impact on tech. Tech firms all over the world use international trade events to showcase their products and maybe even in many respects test the market waters to see how products might do in the industry. But this is important to the tech world because travel has now been restricted, and many of the biggest opportunities that exist in tech are coming out of Asian countries like China.

We’ve also learned now that major trade events are being cancelled or rescheduled. This affects attendees, but more importantly it affects the hotels, the airlines, the caterers, and beyond. So if you’re in the international trade event market, then you’re probably seeing a huge impact.

The US has still sort of avoided some of this. I don’t suspect they’ll be any impact on local trade events, or smaller events that involve you traveling one or two counties. However, if you’re into the Gartner International events, the international CIO events, the international mobile technology events or anything in the dev OPS, agile or operations excellence, you’re probably going to find yourself curtailed.

I happen to be one of those folks who is still optimistic that the Coronavirus spread is going to be controlled, and that it won’t stack up to be a long term issue. Hey, at a minimum, buy some tech stock back up and get a good opportunity when the market is down.

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About the author

Ben Thomas
Ben ThomasHead of Pro AV, MarketScale

Ben Thomas serves as Head of Pro AV at MarketScale, where he leads content and media strategy for the pro AV sector. With over 15 years of award-winning experience across large-scale events, network television, OTT platforms, and podcasting, he has guided major B2B brands including Intel, Sennheiser, Samsung, and Philips to billions of content interactions. He holds a B.A. in Mass Communications and is recognized for his expertise in podcast hosting, public speaking, marketing, and content strategy.

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About the Expert

Ben Thomas
Ben Thomas

Head of Pro AV, MarketScale

MarketScale

Ben Thomas serves as Head of Pro AV at MarketScale. He has experience in analyzing industry trends and providing insights on technology-related topics. His work includes discussions on global trade events and their impact on the technology sector.

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