Coronavirus forces cancellation, delay of trade shows, conferences

Shanghai

OVER two dozen large trade fairs and industry conferences in Singapore, China and elsewhere have been postponed due to travel curbs and concerns about the spread of a coronavirus, potentially disrupting billions of dollars worth of deals.

Here is a snapshot of some of the major events that have been scrapped, postponed or scaled back.

Taipei International Book Exhibition (Feb 4-9): Billed as Taiwan's largest annual literary event, the exhibition has since been postponed to May 7-12.

League of Legends Pro League (due to have started on Feb 5): The e-sports league owned by gaming giant Tencent Holdings said it would postpone the start of its second week until further notice.

Singapore Airshow (Feb 11-16): The aviation leadership summit scheduled on the eve of the event was cancelled. The show itself will go ahead as planned, but on a smaller scale.

Sweden-Southeast Asia Business Summit in Singapore (Feb 13-14): Organisers announced on Monday that the event has been cancelled, although the plan is to hold it at a later date.

China Commodity Markets Insight Forum (Feb 19-20): The forum held by S&P Global Platts was delayed until further notice.

National Association of Travel Agents Singapore travel fair (Feb 21-23): The Natas fair has been moved to May because exhibitors were concerned about the turnout.

China Iron Ore (Feb 25-27): The event held by Fastmarkets in Beijing has been postponed to June 30-July 2.

HSBC Women's World Championship (Feb 27-Mar 1): The popular annual golf tournament at Sentosa Golf Club, one of the most prestigious in the women's game, was to feature all of the world's top 20 players. The Ladies Professional Golf Association announced it has been cancelled, along with next week's LPGA Thailand tournament in Pattaya.

East China Import and Export Commodity Fair (Mar 1-4): Due to be held in Shanghai, the fair usually attracts traders of garments and household goods. It was postponed until further notice.

POC2020 in Kuala Lumpur (Mar 2-4): Bursa Malaysia Derivatives has postponed the Palm and Lauric Oils Price Outlook Conference & Exhibition to June 22-24, on health concerns.

Marine Money China (Mar 3-4): Originally slated to be held in Shanghai, organisers of the meeting for shipping financiers have said that it has been delayed, likely until November.

Food & Hotel Asia in Singapore (Mar 3-6): Organisers of the biennial trade show have postponed its first leg to July. The event attracted more than 80,000 attendees when it was last held in 2018.

National People's Congress (expected to start Mar 5): China is considering delaying the annual meeting of its top legislative body, five people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

China LNG & Gas International Exhibition and Summit in Shanghai (Mar 4-6): Organisers said the event has been postponed until a later date this year. They are in the process of confirming the new date.

Asian Ferroalloys (Mar 16-18): The conference by Fastmarkets, due to be held in Shanghai, has been postponed with no new date given.

Art Basel Hong Kong (Mar 19-21): The high-profile annual art show has been cancelled.

SEMICON/FPD China (Mar 18-30): The annual trade conference for the global chip industry in China was postponed until further notice.

China Development Forum (late-March): Hosted by a foundation under the State Council, the conference was postponed until further notice.

Canton Fair (from April 15): The venue of China's oldest and biggest trade fair said it has suspended exhibitions until further notice.

Coaltrans China (Apr 20-22): One of the largest coal industry gatherings was postponed until further notice, according to the organiser.

Asian Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition (Apr 21-23): The show's organisers, the National Business Aviation Association, said they would cancel this year's show in Shanghai given health concerns and other challenges its participants faced. REUTERS