CEDIA made a difficult preemptive decision today to cancel the in-person CEDIA Expo scheduled for September 8-12, 2020 in Denver, CO. The city is currently in the “yellow phase” of reopening with restaurants offering dine-in options just yesterday. Still, CEDIA Expo is proceeding with caution and will move forward as a virtual experience with a date and outline of the event yet to be provided.
CEDIA issued the following statement today:
ON BEHALF OF CEDIA EXPO, BRIAN PAGEL, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, EMERALD EXPOSITIONS RELEASES STATEMENT ON PLANS FOR CEDIA EXPO 2020 TO MOVE TO A VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE:
WITH EVERY EVENT WE PRODUCE, OUR GOAL IS THE SAME; DELIVER OUR CUSTOMERS THE MOST EFFECTIVE OPPORTUNITIES TO CONDUCT BUSINESS AND ENHANCE THE VITALITY OF THIS INDUSTRY THROUGH INNOVATION, NETWORKING, AND EDUCATION – IN A SAFE AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT. CEDIA EXPO 2020 WAS POSITIONED TO BE THE LAUNCH PAD THIS YEAR TO RE-ENERGIZE THE CHANNEL FOR THE FUTURE.
HOWEVER, DUE TO RECENT DEVELOPMENTS BEYOND OUR CONTROL, WE MADE THE DIFFICULT DECISION TO OFFICIALLY CANCEL CEDIA EXPO 2020, WHICH HAD BEEN SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 8-12, 2020 IN DENVER, CO. THIS IS DUE TO DEVELOPMENTS REGARDING COVID-19 INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE CURRENT STATUS OF THE COLORADO CONVENTION CENTER AS A MEDICAL CARE FACILITY FOR NON-EMERGENCY CASES RELATED TO COVID-19; THE LATEST FEDERAL MEASURES, INCLUDING GUIDELINES ON THE PHASED REOPENING OF THE U.S. ECONOMY; THE DECLARATION BY THE WHO OF COVID-19 AS A PANDEMIC; THE NUMBER OF CONFIRMED CASES WORLDWIDE AND DOMESTICALLY; CURRENT QUARANTINES, CONTAINMENT AREAS, STAY AT HOME ORDERS, AND RESTRICTIONS ON CONGREGATING AND LARGE GATHERINGS IMPOSED BY STATES AND OTHER GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC HEALTH AUTHORITIES; AND THE VARIOUS COMPANY-IMPOSED TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS ON EMPLOYEES AFFECTING ATTENDEES AND PARTICIPATING COMPANIES. MAINTAINING THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF EACH OF OUR CUSTOMERS, PARTNERS, AND EMPLOYEES REMAINS PARAMOUNT TO US.
THE COLORADO CONVENTION CENTER AND VISIT DENVER HAVE BEEN GRACIOUS HOSTS TO CEDIA EXPO AND HAVE ALWAYS EMBRACED OUR COMMUNITY. WE WISH THEM THE BEST AS THEY CONTINUE TO SERVICE THE LOCAL DENVER AND COLORADO STATE POPULATION DURING THIS DIFFICULT TIME.
WHILE WE ARE DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED THAT WE WILL NOT BE COMING TOGETHER IN PERSON THIS SEPTEMBER, WE ARE COMMITTED TO KEEPING YOU CONNECTED AND ARE ALREADY HARD AT WORK DEVELOPING A VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE FOR OUR CONNECTED TECH COMMUNITY. THE CEDIA EXPO VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE WILL LAUNCH IN SEPTEMBER AND OFFER EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO TAKE YOUR RESIDENTIAL TECH BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL. FROM SESSION PANELS SURROUNDING HOT TOPICS TO KEYNOTES, PRODUCT DISCOVERY, NETWORKING AND AN INTERACTIVE EXPO HALL.
THE NEXT IN-PERSON CEDIA EXPO WILL TAKE PLACE SEPTEMBER 1-3, 2021 IN INDIANAPOLIS, IN – HOME TO THE CEDIA ASSOCIATION.
AS ALWAYS, WE APPRECIATE YOUR ONGOING LOYALTY TO CEDIA EXPO AND THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING.
STAY SAFE, STAY HEALTHY.
