Leading cryptocurrency conference organisers have been hit hard by the recent wave of coronavirus cases across mainland Europe and North America, with several events being cancelled.
One event that is still going ahead is the CryptoCompare Digital Asset Summit in London, although organisers have pleaded with punters to go “hand-shake free”.
“We are still on and we’re going handshake-free! Let’s do the elbow tap on Tuesday, 10th of March!” It wrote in a press-release shared with Coin Rivet.
The spread of coronavirus prompted Italy, one of the worst affected nations, to effectively put the whole country in lockdown on Monday in an attempt to stem the flow of cases.
Business as usual in London at the @CryptoCompare event. pic.twitter.com/tBOTtH9M0Y
— Ran Neuner (@cryptomanran) March 10, 2020
This means that all gatherings including conferences and sporting events have been cancelled until April 8, an approach that has been praised by spectators across Europe.
In the UK, however, official advice is to carry on as normal while regularly washing hands with no sign of sporting event cancellations.
“The virus will not survive very long outside,” said England’s deputy chief medical officer, Dr Jenny Harries. “Many outdoor events, particularly, are relatively safe.”
The stance is a stark contrast to that in Czech Republic, where the government has today closed all schools and banned events with more than 100 participants.
Coronavirus impact on crypto sector
Cryptocurrency and blockchain conferences have exploded in popularity over the past two years as mainstream attention builds around the asset class.
Coin Rivet’s editorial team flocked to Malta last year for the AI & Blockchain Summit, an event that was the host for around 5,000 people.
There has also been a key number of events in London including the CC Forum last October and London Blockchain Week in February.
However, organisers are now facing a nervous wait in the UK as cases of coronavirus continues to rise day-by-day.
This not only poses a problem to event planners but also the companies planning on attending, with conferences being an integral part to the marketing side of a cryptocurrency company.
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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author should not be considered as financial advice. We do not give advice on financial products.