Microsoft Build Goes 'Digital' over Coronavirus Fears
To address public safety concerns over the coronavirus, Microsoft is turning its biggest developer conference of the year into an online event.
The company this week announced it is cancelling the in-person portion of Microsoft Build, which had been scheduled for May 19-21 in Seattle. There were about 6,000 attendees at the show in 2019, and Microsoft regularly uses the event to launch major products, services, features and initiatives.
By holding the event online, Microsoft is likely to still treat the event as a major venue for news.
"The safety of our community is a top priority. In light of the health safety recommendations for Washington State, we will deliver our annual Microsoft Build event for developers as a digital event, in lieu of an in-person event," a Microsoft spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement.
"We look forward to bringing together our community of developers in this new virtual format to learn, connect and code together. Stay tuned for more details to come."
The conference is one of dozens of technology events and countless other public events from parades to meetings to sports tournaments and professional sports seasons to be cancelled as cases of COVID-19 mount worldwide.
Keep up to date on all the Microsoft-related technology conferences with RCP's conference calendar.
Posted by Scott Bekker on March 13, 2020