Printing United 2021 Canceled?

[markdarian]

Honestly, they did a really bad job of announcing the cancellation.

The cancellation email was vaguely titled "To All Registered PRINTING United Expo Attendees" after they had sent out an email titled "Why the Show Must Go On" several days earlier. They wrote a whole article about how they weren't going to let the Delta variant mess up their show on August 25, and several days later the entire show was canceled. Not to mention they accidentally sent out an email titled "Hurry! It's Your Last Chance for PRINTING United Expo Hotel Discounts" AFTER the event was already canceled.

I've talked to several people this week (who have flights/hotels booked for the show) and none of them had any idea that the show was canceled until I mentioned it. Some of them didn't believe me because all the show information is still on their website, show times/dates, attendee/exhibitor information, floor plans, etc. Plus a GIANT banner in the middle of the homepage saying "MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER!"

As I'm writing this, they only have a tiny banner titled "PRINTING United Expo 2021 Important Update." ....which still doesn't mention anything about being canceled unless you click on the banner link.

I have a feeling a lot of people are gonna end up flying out there to a canceled event, or at least get screwed on their hotel/flights if they notice it too late.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

I like going to the shows on day 2 and trying to pick out all the middle aged meatheads that went out and partied too much on the first night.

 

[WildWestDesigns]

Photoplus, I believe the largest photography conference on the East Coast has been canceled for the second year in a row(at least in person, they went fully virtual last year). I realize that this is about a sign convention, not a photography one, but I do think we can extrapolate a trend.

Unknown (at least I didn't find anything) if it will go fully virtual this year (which I would say it doesn't work, but that is just my opinion). Bare in mind as well, numbers have been down with this convention year over year, so I have to wonder if all the fear porn is what is driving the final nail in the coffin. While the virus may be contributing, I would say that the death knell has been sounding long before now. Conventions are going to need to be able to figure out how to get the virtual thing to work for the short term (education may be the best way forward on that in the near term, a lot of people still go to these conventions to learn something as well, not just all about new product), to hopefully make it to where this becomes endemic versus pandemic (which in my mind, it should be, but that's just me).