Outbreaks are bad for the conference business
Seattle Genetics was among the most prominent of slightly more than a dozen biotech companies to cite coronavirus travel-related concerns as the reason for canceling investor meetings and presentations at the Cowen Healthcare Conference, which started yesterday in Boston. In an email sent to conference attendees, Cowen said it was seeing “limited cancellations.”
Hours later, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, whose headquarters are about 1.4 miles from the site of the conference, canceled its Tuesday presentation “following implementation of a companywide travel and meetings policy that is designed to reduce potential disruption from coronavirus.”
The most visible impact of the coronavirus situation on the Cowen conference was the ubiquitous sight of people greeting each other with elbow bumps or shoe taps, while joking about not being able to shake hands. Attendance appears to be down from years past, although in no way is the conference emptied out.
While Cowen attendees appear to be taking the coronavirus outbreak in stride for now, there is also an expectation that business and travel disruptions may escalate as the number or infections in the U.S. increase. There have already been a smattering of cancellation notices for smaller medical meetings in February and March, which may signal trouble for the larger conferences this spring that typically draw global audiences.
Hours later, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, whose headquarters are about 1.4 miles from the site of the conference, canceled its Tuesday presentation “following implementation of a companywide travel and meetings policy that is designed to reduce potential disruption from coronavirus.”
The most visible impact of the coronavirus situation on the Cowen conference was the ubiquitous sight of people greeting each other with elbow bumps or shoe taps, while joking about not being able to shake hands. Attendance appears to be down from years past, although in no way is the conference emptied out.
While Cowen attendees appear to be taking the coronavirus outbreak in stride for now, there is also an expectation that business and travel disruptions may escalate as the number or infections in the U.S. increase. There have already been a smattering of cancellation notices for smaller medical meetings in February and March, which may signal trouble for the larger conferences this spring that typically draw global audiences.
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