Or should I wait until I make travel and lodging arrangements?
I was planning my trip to the World Pork Expo but then I realized it was too soon.
It was April last year when the NPPC canceled the event and money was lost in booked tickets and hotel rooms. This might have been a minor hiccup for local professionals, but for those coming from abroad it was a major loss. So, I decided to wait a couple more months.
Then, coronavirus hit and flights are being canceled, travel restrictions are imposed, and uncertainty reigns. It is not as if the African swine fever (ASF) problem has subsided. Instead, it continues to spread in new countries affecting more and more pigs. We believe the coronavirus will subside as soon as the weather improves, but what if it does not? What if it continues to spread, just like ASF? Will travel restrictions be extended and expanded? Of course, the answer is that we do not know as even those in the know play it by the ear. We hope for the best, but in the meantime what to do about traveling abroad?
In fact, this is a discussion we had in a group in which I participate. We decided to cancel this year’s international meeting, which we always tied with attendance to a major show. This was because the loss from a cancelation for any reason would be again too much for a second time. I am sure there are other industries affected by the same problem, which is nothing compared to the pain and agony of those afflicted by the actual viruses. Here I only want to highlight how something like that might affect attention to events on a global scale.
I am sure that tele-conferences and virtual exhibitions will see a surge in 2020 and beyond as the negative side of globalization once more creates unimaginable disasters and unpredictable side effects. Lamentably, each coin has two sides and we now face the reverse.
