Sea Otter Classic potentially next on coronavirus' path of trade show destruction

In an uncommon move that has seen global trade shows such as the Geneva Motor Show cancelled owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the Sea Otter Classic might be following a similar path according to an announcement made by the organisers of North America's largest bicycle festival yesterday.

"We are carefully monitoring the coronavirus situation. We’ve been in discussions with various agencies to determine the best course of action regarding the 2020 Sea Otter Classic," said Frank Yohannan, president and CEO of the Sea Otter Classic.

"We will make a final decision on our position within a couple of days.  As you can imagine there are many consequences to consider and we appreciate your patience."

The Sea Otter Classic would potentially comprise a host of trade shows to get the axe in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Apart from the Geneva Motor Show, the tech world's Mobile World Congress and Facebook's F8 Developer Conference have been cancelled along with the Chinese legs of both the Formula One and Formula E, as well as the final two stages of the WorldTour race, the UAE Tour.

"Our sympathy goes out to those affected by coronavirus and we extend our gratitude to all health care workers fighting to contain its spread," Yohannan said.