Seafood Expo Asia, scheduled to take place November 18-20 in Singapore, has been called off due to ongoing health and safety issues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic that originated in China late last year and has spread globally. As of August 12, the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-19) has been attributed to 750,565 deaths and 20,745,766 infections worldwide.
This is the third seafood show cancellation this year by the organizer, Portland, Maine, USA-based Diversified Communications, which previously called off the Seafood Expo North America in Boston and Seafood Expo Global in Brussels.
“Despite some re-opening measures internationally and locally, there are still far too many uncertainties about the impact Covid-19 will have on travel and mass gatherings this November,” said Liz Plizga, group vice president at Diversified Communications. “Consequently, it is impossible to hold an event that would provide an experience the seafood community would find valuable.”
She added: “This has been a challenging year for the seafood community and we are thankful for the support from the industry, our vendors and partners. We will continue to evaluate our offerings and find solutions to help our customers connect and develop business during this difficult time.”
The Seafood Expo Asia team will reach out to customers to answer questions about the cancellation of the 2020 edition. They plan to discuss opportunities to continue to move their business ahead in the Asian market, access educational resources and reconnect with seafood buying communities.
This is the second time in as many years that the plug has been pulled on Seafood Expo Asia. Last year’s edition of the show, set for September 3-5 in Hong Kong, was cancelled just two weeks before its slated kickoff date due to political protests punctuated by rising social unrest. Millions of protesters took to the streets to demand greater democracy in the Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China. Rail and air travel was impeded, scuffles broke out and police dispersed tear gas during crowd control actions.
