This week is the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas… which, before it started, had many companies pull out due to concerns from the Omicron variant. Here’s the list of those who pulled out since we last talked – Intel, GM, Google, Lenovo, Panasonic, Mercedes, BMW, and Microsoft. The event organizers themselves end the show a day early as “an additional safety measure.”
And from Axios, “In private notes and email threads, many smaller exhibitors have fumed at being forced to choose between potentially losing a substantial investment or risking their employees’ health.”
RSA has been postponed from February 7 to June 6-9.
Why do we care?
I wanted to highlight that impact on smaller companies, mainly as I often see the SMB. The show must go on, right? Why… because the show organizers need the cash. That isn’t a judgment on them; it’s a statement of their business. Conference organizers are in the business of making money, and here’s a callback to the show theme of financial incentives. Understand those.
What’s the lesson here? That’s why society has public health as a government function, not a business one. Small companies should be doing different risk analyses during this surge and making decisions within their risk tolerance.