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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020
13
Business
LONDON (AP) — A major European technology trade
fair has a low-tech idea for reducing virus risks: go
hands-free.
Organisers of thismonth’sMobileWorldCongress
(MWC) show are advising attendees to adopt a no-
handshake policy, threatening to dampen visiting
executives’ ability to meet and schmooze customers.
Show organisers also plan to step up cleaning and
disinfecting and make sure speakers do not use the
same microphone. Some companies, meanwhile,
are pulling out or scaling back plans.
MWC is an important networking and lobbying
opportunity for mobile industry executives and
government oficials from around the world. It is
the world’s biggest wireless industry trade fair, held
in Barcelona, Spain, on the other side of the globe
from the virus outbreak’s Chinese epicentre.
The latest turmoil for MWC came on Friday when
Sweden’s Ericsson, a major supplier of telecom
infrastructure gear, said it was pulling out of the
event because it feared the health and safety of
employees and customers “cannot be ensured”.
While there is little sign of a mass exodus in the
works, the departure of Ericsson is a blow to the
show because it is one of the biggest exhibitors.
South Korean tech company LG also withdrew
earlier in the week.
Other companies are adjusting or scaling
back their plans to adapt to travel and quarantine
measures. The Chinese tech giant Huawei, a major
sponsor, is assigning European staff to the show. Eric
Xu, serving a six-month term as rotating chairman, is
scheduled to hold amedia brieing by video because
he was unable to get to Spain with enough time to
undergo the two-week self-quarantine period.
Principal analyst at Atherton Research in San
Jose, California Jean-Baptiste Su said he has decided
not to attend because of virus worries.
“I just didn’t want to take a chance,” he said. “It’s
that bad.”
Su said many participants were coming from
China, and “we don’t know much about how the
transmission of the virus works”. He added that
people he knows at big Silicon Valley companies
are “on the fence” about attending.
Ericsson said it decided to withdraw after “an
extensive internal risk assessment”.
“Ericsson has thousands of visitors in its hall each
day and even if the risk is low, the company cannot
guarantee the health and safety of its employees
and visitors,” the company said.
Dropping out might affect Ericsson’s business,
though the damage would be limited, said CEO of
tech-focussed public relations agency CCgroup
Richard Fogg, who has attended Mobile World for
17 years.
More important is the signal it sends.
“Ericsson could be the start of a domino rally,”
Fogg said. “It gives smaller vendors permission to
potentially pull from attending.”
However, he said there was not much discussion
among his clients yet of the virus. He said cost is
also a factor because exhibitors have already paid
their fees.
The show’s organisers GSMA said it regretted
and respected Ericsson’s decision to pull out.
“Ericsson’s cancellation will have some impact
on our presence at this time and will potentially
have further impact,” the group said.
Organisers and local authorities have been
scrambling to contain worries about the virus
this week.
Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau said MWC will go
ahead “in a completely normal way” despite the
virus and cancellations.
“I hope there are no more announcements
like those by Ericsson and LG,” Colau told Catalan
television channel TV3 on Friday. “I am told that all
necessary precautions are being taken” so that the
event can be held as safely as possible, she said.
Director General of the GSMA Mats Granryd
told The Associated Press, before Ericsson’s
announcement, that he does not “foresee this (as)
more than a sort of a blip”.
Microsoft said its plans to participate remain
unchanged — for now.
“The safety of our employees is a top priority
and we will evaluate the situation and adjust plans
as necessary,” the company said.
But LG said it was dropping out to remove “the
risk of exposing hundreds of LG employees to
international travel which has already become more
restrictive as the virus continues to spread across
borders”. A day later, Chinese tech company ZTE
said it was scrubbing the press launch for its new
devices. ZTE also said it was adopting measures
including disinfecting its exhibition stand daily and
making sure it’s staffed by employees fromcountries
outside China, mainly from Europe.
Granryd said a few small Chinese companies
based in Wuhan, China, where the virus irst
emerged, have also pulled out.
No handshakes at meet
and greet? Tech show
adapts to virus
File photo shows attendees walk past a display for 5G services from Chinese technology irm Huawei at the
PT Expo in Beijing. PHOTO: AP