Out of all the events that have been canceled due to COVID-19, it is baffling to see that Computex was not canceled just yet by TAITRA. The website still shows that even is taking place with the necessary precautions. Obviously, NOBODY will be there.
Taiwan-based high-tech companies reportedly now are actively asking the organizers of Computex Taipei to postpone the annual tradeshow this year currently scheduled for June 2 to 5, citing the coronavirus pandemic, states Digitmes:
Taiwan has banned the entry of foreign visitors and requires all returning Taiwan residents to go through a 14-day quarantine. Many countries in North America and Europe have already been locked down.
Under such circumstances, sources from Taiwan-based IT companies said the annual tradeshow is unlikely to be able to attract many foreign exhibitors, press personnel or visitors. Some Taiwanese companies also prefer not to participate in the event, the sources said. CES Asia 2020, originally slated for June 10-12 in China, has already been postponed.
So far, many IT-related events have been canceled or postponed, including Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2020. Semicon China has been postponed to June 27 from March 18-20. Nvidia also deferred its GTC event originally planned for March 22-26, while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has pushed back a technical forum in Santa Clara, the US from April 29 to August 24. Other major IT companies such as Google, Amazon and Microsoft have also cancelled or delayed their key technology events.
Computex's organizers - the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and Taipei Compute Association (TCA) - have not indicated whether the show will be postponed, it's just shameful behavior if you ask me.
Updated: March 24th 2020.
Computex is now officially delayed, the organization, in fact, set a new date, September 28-30, 2020. Which were quite sure of, still will still not likely be possible for global media to attend with the viral outbreak spreading globally.
-- Taitra --
Unfortunately, the world is affected by severe infectious pneumonia (COVID-19). As of today, more than 300,000 people have been diagnosed across 167 countries worldwide, impacting the economy, trade, transportation, convention, and tourism. COMPUTEX organizers, TAITRA President & CEO, Mr. Walter Yeh, and TCA Secretary General, Mr. Enoch Du jointly announce, for the health and safety of exhibitors and visitors, the effectiveness of the exhibition, and maintaining the COMPUTEX brand image, COMPUTEX scheduled for June 2-6 will be rescheduled to September.
To continue to service exhibitors and visitors around the world while taking into account the health and safety of all participants, COMPUTEX is rescheduled to September 28-30, at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Hall 2 (TaiNEX 2) and will present 5G and communication, smart solutions, gaming, and InnoVEX (startups). According to McKinsey's latest epidemic report, the epidemic in China and East Asia will be controlled at the beginning of the second quarter, and the epidemic situation in Europe and the United States will slow down in June. TAITRA will enhance inviting global visitors to attend COMPUTEX in September through its 63 overseas offices.
For exhibitors who continue to support COMPUTEX, TAITRA will organize a COMPUTEX online exhibition on the Taiwantrade from June 2-6 and invite global buyers to participate in online procurement meetings. TAITRA will also invite exhibitors to conduct new product launches, as well as invite global ICT companies to share 5G, AIoT, and other smart technology applications through Webinar.
Updated: organization TAITRA postpones 2020 Computex
