Six manufacturers had already announced that they would stay away from Europe’s largest mobile phone trade fair due to the new type of lung disease. Now more will follow. The organizer tries to calm down with preventive measures.
Barcelona, The corona virus is putting pressure on the organizers of the Mobile World Congress (MWC). The largest mobile phone fair in Europe threatens to become a ghost event. Six major manufacturers canceled within a week. After LG, Ericsson, TCL, chip manufacturer Nvidia and Amazon, the Japanese manufacturer Sony also announced on Monday that it would not attend the fair for security reasons. The product presentation was moved to the Internet without further ado and should now take place as a live stream. It cannot be ruled out that other companies will follow this example. The list of cancellations is getting longer. Because the chip manufacturer Intel will also not participate in the fair. Just like the Japanese provider NTT Docomo and smartphone manufacturer Vivo.
ZTE and Samsung, however, announced that they would only limit their presence due to the new lung disease and send fewer company representatives. Both companies emphasized that they would still participate as exhibitors. Huawei, the largest manufacturer in terms of area with two stands, sends its employees to Barcelona two weeks beforehand as a measure. This is to prevent employees from being infected. Lenovo and HTC also affirmed that they will attend the show despite the current health crisis.
Meanwhile, the industry association GSMA, which has been organizing the fair since the 1980s, tries to ensure and reassure the safety of the fair participants with appropriate measures. A cancellation of the fair is currently not under discussion.
For example, travelers from the Hubei province are generally denied access to the exhibition center. In addition to the usual safety precautions at the entrance, there should also be regular fever measurements.
People from China have to prove with a health certificate that they are not infected and have had no contact with corona patients. They also have to prove that they have spent two weeks outside the country. The association does not explain how these checks should take place in practice.
Shaking hands prohibited
The medical staff was also increased and the hygiene measures were also adjusted. Areas that are particularly heavily frequented, such as the catering zones and sanitary facilities, should be disinfected to a greater extent. Disinfection dispensers for the participants should also be set up in the eight halls. Shaking hands was also prohibited.
But not only exhibitors jump off. The GSMA expects a significant drop in visitor numbers due to canceled flight connections between China and Spain. A financial blow for Barcelona.
Hotels are usually fully booked weeks in advance. Almost 14,000 people are employed during the one-week event at the fair. It is estimated that the MWC, which will take place from February 23 to 27 this year, will wash almost 470 million euros into the city.
Last year, more than 109,000 visitors attended the trade fair, including 6,500 from China. Of the 2,800 exhibitors, 50 are from China.
(“Die Presse”, print edition, February 11, 2020)
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