Three more cannabis-related conferences have been canceled or postponed, including this month’s massive South by Southwest (SXSW) event in Austin, Texas, because of the coronavirus outbreak.
In addition to SXSW, which had a cannabis business track that included speakers from Marijuana Business Daily, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) postponed indefinitely the upcoming Hemp-CBD Supplement Congress that was scheduled for April 14-15 in Portland, Oregon; and the International Cannabis Business Conference (ICBC) in Berlin has been moved from early April to July.
The city of Austin made the decision to cancel SXSW, which was slated for March 13-22.
More than 55,000 people signed a petition on Change.org calling for the cancellation of the festival, which in 2019 drew more than 400,000 people from around the world.
“We are devastated to share this news with you,” SXSW organizers posted on the events website. “’The show must go on’ is in our DNA, and this is the first time in 34 years that the March event will not take place.
“We are now working through the ramifications of this unprecedented situation.”
Organizers are exploring options to reschedule the event and are working to provide a virtual SXSW online experience for 2020 participants as soon as possible, according to the event’s website.
For more of Marijuana Business Daily’s ongoing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on the cannabis industry, click here.
