Yesterday, I suggested that we all stop shaking hands in favor of bowing, as fears of the coronavirus spreads. And, I seemed to have had a first follower in the Mobile World Congress, a 100,000 attendee tech conference scheduled for later this month in Barcelona. The Congress was urging attendees to refrain from shaking hands as a way to stop the transmission of the virus.
Alas, we'll never know how that would all pan out...because they've canceled the Congress after 40 companies announced they were pulling out. The largest exhibitor, Huawei, reportedly had flown all their reps into Spain early to self-quarantine before the event.
The biggest loser is Barcelona which, despite its recent rebellion against tourists, stands to forfeit a half a billion dollars US in lost visitor spending.
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