LG pulls out of ISE and MWC due to coronavirus

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The Korean giant has pulled out of two big European tech conferences

LG pulls out of ISE and MWC due to coronavirus
(Image credit: LG)

LG will no longer be exhibiting at the forthcoming ISE show in Amsterdam or MWC in Barcelona. 

The company said in a statement that after monitoring the coronavirus outbreak it had taken the decision to withdraw from Mobile World Congress (MWC), with "the safety of its employees, partners and customers foremost in mind". 

A statement on the LG Information Display website added that the World Health Organization's recommendation that individuals “promote social distancing" had lead to the company to decide against international travel to large public events.

Coronavirus is a respiratory virus that was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan but has now infected thousands of Chinese citizens and spread around the world. So far there have been more than 28,000 reported cases and over 560 deaths.

ISE 2020, the world's largest pro AV event, takes place next week in Amsterdam, while MWC in Barcelona gets under way in less than three weeks. With a growing contingent of Chinese tech brands and attendees at world technology shows, the coronavirus looks set to have a serious impact on forthcoming events.

Due to travel restrictions and factory shutdowns across China, there are also likely to be production delays. The Foxconn factory, which makes iPhones for Apple, was told to close at the start of the month.

Joe Cox
Joe Cox
Content Director

Joe is the Content Director for What Hi-Fi? and Future’s Product Testing, having previously been the Global Editor-in-Chief of What Hi-Fi?. He has worked on What Hi-Fi? across the print magazine and website for almost 20 years, writing news, reviews and features on everything from turntables to TVs, headphones to hi-fi separates. He has covered product launch events across the world, from Apple to Technics, Sony and Samsung; reported from CES, the Bristol Show, and Munich High End for many years; and written for sites such as the BBC, Stuff, and the Guardian. In his spare time, he enjoys expanding his vinyl collection and cycling (not at the same time).