With Washington's mask and vaccine mandates ending as of Tuesday, the Satellite 2022 show and conference March 21-24 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center won't require masking of attendees, proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test to attend, organizers said. Enhanced cleaning and sanitation efforts will still be underway at the venue, they said.
NAB is canvassing NAB Show “alumni” who haven't registered for the April 23-27 event at the Las Vegas Convention Center to ask if the show’s health and safety policy was holding them back. A simple three-question survey asks past show participants where they stand about plans to attend. For those who answered “not sure,” NAB asked if COVID-19 “health concerns” were the reason for the “indecision,” or if it was the show’s health and safety policy. They were offered a promo code redeemable for a free exhibits pass. “We hope the COVID situation continues to improve and our Policy evolves so that you are able to join us in Las Vegas this April,” concluded the questionnaire. The policy requires all NAB Show audiences to be fully vaccinated and recommends but doesn't require booster shots. NAB also recommends masks but doesn't require them, after Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) lifted the state’s mask mandate for indoor public venues earlier this month (see 2202110020).
Emerald Holding, owner of the CEDIA Expo, narrowed its Q4 net loss to $7.3 million in 2021 from $33.9 million in 2020, due to the revenue increase from the return of live events in second half 2021, plus event cancellation insurance claims proceeds, said the company Thursday. Revenue was $41.1 million vs. $12.2 million in the year-earlier quarter. CEO Herve Sedky complained of a “disconnect” between media reports and “what I see in our business” about the public's readiness to return to physical shows. Acknowledging the "very real impact" of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sedky said Emerald’s customers value in-person, face-to-face events “in the most efficient and productive medium possible.” Emerald remains an “integral part" of customers' marketing budgets, he said. Attendee declines since the start of the pandemic improved to 35%-45% in Q4 from 50%-60% in the summer and fall. Emerald staged 63 live events last year with 129,000 attendees and 7,500 exhibitors; it canceled 132 events in 2020-2021 due to the pandemic. Sedky referenced the company’s purchase of PlumRiver’s Elastic business-to-business e-commerce platform in December 2020 as one of the company’s moves into “new verticals.” A customer centricity initiative will include short post-show surveys for all events and “experimentation with new pricing models and bundles,” Sedky said. In Q&A, Chief Financial Officer David Doft said Emerald has been able to “improve yield” at events “based on the value that the events are providing.” Throughout the pandemic, Emerald has added offerings, including “matchmaking,” which adds "incremental value" to its offering, he said.The company benefited from $21.7 million in revenue from live events that were held in Q4 but were canceled in the prior-year quarter. To date, Emerald has received $184.4 million in insurance claim payments due to canceled events out of $249 million submitted, said Doft. Shares closed 8.6% higher Friday at $3.55.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will resume in-person oral arguments for the March court sitting, it announced Tuesday. It had reverted to virtual oral arguments for its February sitting amid the surge in cases from COVID-19's omicron variant. With coronavirus cases numbers dwindling in the D.C. area, the court will still limit in-person attendance to arguing counsel and one additional "necessary attendee," it said. N95, KN95 or KF95 masks will be required of anyone entering the building, as will proof of a negative polymerase chain reaction test taken in the previous 72 hours, say the court's health and safety protocols last revised Jan. 18.
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) lifted the state’s COVID-19 mask mandates for public indoor venues Thursday, meaning audiences at the April 23-27 NAB Show, if the policy stays in force, won’t need to wear masks at the Las Vegas Convention Center, as CES 2022 attendees were required to do in early January. Masks will still be required at Harry Reid International Airport under continuing federal mandates. “Just like vaccines, masks are still a great tool we have to slow the spread of the virus,” but they will no longer be required, said Sisolak. The NAB Show, like CES 2022, is requiring its audiences to be fully vaccinated, and is recommending, but not requiring, booster shots unless the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention changes policy and requires them for a person to be defined as fully vaccinated, said the association. “NAB will update the policies and protocols to align with the new requirements,” said the show’s health and safety protocols page, last updated Jan. 19, with the LVCC mask mandate listed as still in effect.
From the perspective of Poly, which markets work-from-home headsets, the COVID-19 pandemic created a “three-phase demand cycle,” of which phase 1 was when everyone “stole their kids’ headsets and ran to the local retailer to buy whatever webcam they could find,” said CEO Dave Shull on an earnings call Tuesday for fiscal Q3 ended Jan. 1. Phase 2 was when remote workforces “realized we needed tools, not toys, to do our jobs,” he said. Phase 3, “the permanent entrenchment of hybrid work,” is where “we are now and it's where Poly excels,” he said. “If the pandemic created a set of temporary pressures, it also set in stone a permanent change in the way we work.”
Logitech’s global scale and product diversity drove higher-than-expected revenue in fiscal Q3 ’22, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter wrote investors Wednesday. The company posted revenue of $1.6 billion for Q3 ended Dec. 31 (see 2201250021) vs. the analyst’s $1.5 billion estimate. Wedbush projects a slowdown in video collaboration for fiscal Q4 due to the COVID-19 omicron spread and “reversed or slowing return-to-work trends." Pachter projected an acceleration in Logitech’s video collaboration business throughout the year, but that "could be optimistic,” he said, saying omicron could postpone the category's full potential. Gaming revenue “should remain elevated if people delay return-to-office plans,” he said.
A spray cleaner from Gadget Guard is the first EPA-registered screen cleaner spray to kill 99.9% of germs and viruses, including COVID-19, the company emailed Tuesday. Tech-Clean is said to kill coronavirus on hard surfaces in three minutes. The hydrogen peroxide-based cleaner won’t degrade a screen’s coating, it said. A 2-ounce bottle sells for $14.99 at the company website.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which had suspended in-person oral arguments for January (see 2201030007), said Thursday they will remain suspended until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic and public health guidance. It said the oral argument suspension "will be reexamined and modified as necessary as developing circumstances require."
COVID-19 vaccination cards “are the new credit cards,” and American consumers “want them protected,” reported McAfee Friday. The company canvassed 1,000 U.S. adults Nov. 24 to Dec. 5, finding three in 10 “expect increases in tracking vaccine status and storing proof of vaccination in 2022.” The survey found widespread consumer concerns that COVID-19 online activities “could potentially lead to data privacy issues or possible identity theft,” it said. A slight majority of respondents said they would prefer “the convenience of a digital vaccine passport,” while only a quarter said they preferred a paper copy, it said. The study said online learning and telehealth consultations will increasingly “take root” with consumers during 2022, “above and beyond COVID necessities. Americans are showing more and more willingness to learn online and seek out online mental health consultations, at least in certain cases.” COVID concerns “remain a driver for this increase” among 49% of respondents, but 31% “cited convenience and time savings as a reason to seek out these services online,” it said. By contrast, 39% said they preferred an “in-person interaction” with a mental health therapist.