The annual South by Southwest (SXSW) conference and festival is moving ahead as planned—with or without some big-name guests.
Twitter, Facebook, and Vevo have pulled out of the event, citing concerns over the novel coronavirus outbreak.
“After careful consideration of all knowns and unknowns regarding the [virus], Vevo has decided to cancel its annual SXSW event this year,” the music video streaming service said in a statement published by AdAge.
Chinese-based social video app TikTok is reportedly reconsidering its attendance, as well.
On Sunday, Twitter announced the suspension of all non-critical business travel—including, apparently, CEO Jack Dorsey’s planned keynote at this month’s SXSW event, scheduled for March 13-22 in Austin, Texas.
The company’s #TwitterHouse, slated to feature “a variety of events and programming” at South by Southwest, has also been scrapped.
A conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences, SXSW began in 1987 and has continued to grow every year.
This month’s lineup (assuming they’ve not yet abandoned ship) features keynotes by artist and former UN diplomat Gabo Arora, musician/DJ Diplo, and Emerson Collective founder and president Laurene Powell Jobs.
Other celebrity attendees should include Samantha Bee, Dr. Brené Brown, Stephen Colbert, Jonathan Van Ness, Disney Imagineers, and Supernatural stars Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, and Misha Collins.
An online appeal calling for South by Southwest, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, the Austin Department of Public Health, and the Centers for Disease Control to cancel SXSW 2020 has collected more than 29,690 signatures.
“I’m concerned about the hundreds of thousands of people who will be traveling to Austin, Texas, in March for the SXSW festival,” Shayla Lee wrote in the petition. “I believe that having an event like this is irresponsible amid an outbreak.”
As of Tuesday, there is no plan to abandon this year’s conference.
“SXSW is working closely on a daily basis with local, state, and federal agencies to plan for a safe event,” according to a statement posted to the website this week. “As a result of this dialogue and the recommendations of Austin Public Health, the 2020 event is proceeding with safety as a top priority.”
Several large conferences—notably Mobile World Congress, Facebook F8, and the Geneva Motor Show—have already fallen victim to the coronavirus. ZDNet compiled a comprehensive list of global events that are canceled, postponed, or going virtual.
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