G2E ASIA POSTPONED AGAIN DUE TO COVID CRISIS

Global Gaming Expo (G2E) Asia has been postponed, again, due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. 

Previously scheduled for 17-19 August 2021, the gaming and entertainment industry trade show has now been postponed until 9-11 November 2021. 

G2E has now been postponed several times due to the pandemic, with the May 2020 date rescheduled for July 2020, before being pushed back to December 2020, then May 2021, then August 2021, and now November 2021. 

The G2E Asia Online Expo & Conference virtual event will still go ahead on 25 May 2021. 

In a statement, organisers said: “Traditionally held in May, the November convening will allow exhibitors and attendees more time to plan for their participation in light of continued Covid-19-related commercial and travel restrictions.G2E Asia 2021 will be a smaller and more personal experience for attendees to focus on networking and exploring new products in core gaming and integrated resorts.”

COO of Reed Exhibitions China, Josephine Lee, commented: “Through ongoing consultation with our exhibitors and the Macau Government, Reed Exhibitions and the American Gaming Association determined that a November event provides the best opportunity to create a valuable marketplace, educational content and networking opportunities for the global gaming industry. We look forward to bringing the gaming community together at G2E Asia, as the industry continues to recover from the devastating impacts of Covid-19.”

AYO.NEWS says:

Since the very start of the pandemic in early 2020, the trade show industry (along with politicians and much of the public) seems to have suffered from a mix of willful ignorance and deluded denial about the nature of the crisis, fundamentally failing to grasp the sheer complexity and magnitude of what is unfolding. 

The truth is that, right now, in May 2021, we are in a far more ominous position than we were in early 2020. Certainly, in some countries and regions, rushed mass vaccination campaigns have given the impression that they have subdued infection rates, but increasing numbers of experts are breaking ranks to warn that the vaccination campaigns, when looked at globally, may well actually be fuelling the pandemic, pushing the evolution of the virus into multitudes of variants, with those that are more resistant to vaccines naturally becoming dominant. 

Put simply, because of the sheer scale of infection and the vast number of mutations, and opportunities for more mutations, the virus will always have a vast reservoir of available, infectible hosts somewhere (many with sub-optimal immune responses thanks to vaccination acquired antibodies that aren’t the ideal match for a specific variant, or aren’t fully developed due to ongoing priming, coupled with a sidelined innate immune response) – and the distribution of that reservoir will be constantly changing – thus it will be impossible to create any kind of effective fire break needed to effectively break the cycle and enable the virus to be eradicated (unless all international and regional travel is completely halted for a long, long time – which is clearly not going to happen). 

In reality, we may well be looking at a ‘Pandora’s Box’ type situation, where we’ve started a chain reaction that spirals out of control, leading to wave after wave, of ever more potent variants. Naturally, after painting themselves into corners, politicians and the advisors who have guided them up to now, will never admit this, and instead simply ramp up vaccinations, with booster shot after booster shot, no doubt blaming so-called ‘anti-vaxxers’ for all the bad news. 

So, we should expect to see wave after wave affecting different regions at different times, with lulls in between that cause politicians to declare victory, advisors to pat themselves on the back, the public to think it’s all over, and yes, trade show organisers to busy themselves with their next event. 

Expect more postponements.