SXSW Canceled Due to Coronavirus | Game Rant
Although organizers had originally been on track to execute this year's SXSW event, the city of Austin has stepped in to cancel the event altogether due to the coronavirus. This makes SXSW one of the latest events to either be shut down or delayed due to the disease.
In a statement on the event's website, organizers wrote that they will be following the direction of the city of Austin to not hold the event. The statement remarks that despite the organizers' "show must go on" methodology, this cancelation makes it the first time in 34 years that SXSW will not occur.
While Austin Public Health had stated on Wednesday that shutting down SXSW wouldn't make the community safer necessarily, the statement says that the situation has changed fast enough to warrant a cancelation. Although SXSW will not be held during its intended March window, the statement clarifies that organizers are attempting to reschedule it and are "working to provide a virtual SXSW online experience as soon as possible for 2020 participants."
The update notes that organizers are aware of how important the event is to the creatives and entrepreneurs using SXSW as a way to boost their success. However, the statement concludes by demonstrating that organizers still intend on helping entrepreneurs and creatives "achieve their goals."
The SXSW event has traditionally been a place for creative people and businesses to go and share projects and ideas. This includes film industry figures premiering film previews and past attendants like Mark Zuckerberg. Thus, although the cancelation may be necessary due to the danger presented by the coronavirus, this year's canceled SXSW marks a missed opportunity for entrepreneurial entities in the world of business and otherwise.
However, precautions toward the coronavirus do take precedent. From a multitude of delays to production shortages, all industries are taking an apparent hit by the disease that field experts are still working on a vaccine for.
Some have found workarounds for the coronavirus, though. Bungie instituted a work-from-home policy due to the coronavirus, which shows that measures can be taken to ensure the health and safety of all susceptible. Events like SXSW may have to wait in the meantime, but perhaps it's for the best given current global conditions.
SXSW is currently not scheduled to occur.
Source: SXSW
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