CDSA

Continued concerns and uncertainty around COVID-19 has forced the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) to cancel its 2021 in-person NAB Show event, scheduled for Oct. 9-13 in Las Vegas, Chris Brown, EVP and managing director of global connections and events, announced Sept. 15.

Originally scheduled for April, this marks the second consecutive year NAB has canceled its Las Vegas show due to the pandemic. Instead, registered attendees will be able to access keynotes, panels, panels and exhibitor presentations online. For now, NAB plans on moving forward with its in-person event in Las Vegas in 2022, April 23-27.

“As we have always kept the best interest and safety of the industry as our priority, it has become apparent in the face of these challenges that we can no longer effectively host NAB Show or our co-located events, the Radio Show and Sales and Management Television Exchange, in person,” Brown said. “NAB Show is the premiere destination for the media and entertainment industry and we will not move forward with a show that delivers anything less than the excellence our community has come to expect and deserves from us.”

NAB had high hopes to go on with the show, which draws 1,600 exhibitors and 90,000 attendees, by requiring all attendees to be vaccinated and wear masks, and by working with the Las Vegas Convention Center, the airport authority, and area hotels and resorts to coordinate safety procedures.

But in the days leading up the cancellation, major exhibitors, including Sony, Canon and more, had announced they would not attend NAB due to concerns around the virus. Several other NAB Show mainstays, including Avid, had announced early on that they would not exhibit live at the show.

NAB said it would soon provide details on its online replacement for the live show.