I don’t think this is a shock to anyone but NAB has made the decision to cancel NAB Show 2021. It had been rumored in a hush-hush for a couple of days but a tweet this morning makes it officially official.

pic.twitter.com/vtojPD6ZBD

— NAB Show (@NABShow) September 15, 2021

I mentioned just the other day that is seems irresponsible to continue with the show given the current COVID surge that is going on in the country. Stay tuned for what will happen with Post|Production World but we can assume it will continue online.

Here’s looking forward to April 23-27, 2022 when, hopefully, we can meet back in person for a real NAB Show. While I think the decision to cancel the October show was the right decision for the health and safety of our entire industry, like the decision to cancel last year, this had to be an agonizing decision for NAB. The show is legendary and still a very important part of our industry. Despite the regular discussion of the death of the trade show, I’ll say it again, that a show like NAB provides an important face-to-face meeting with family and friends. Hands-on with gear you might not ever touch before you buy. And a way to just get out of the suite and off the set into an environment with like-minded individuals.

Here’s the text from NAB:

To Our NAB Show Community:

For more than a year we have worked tirelessly to bring our industry together safely in Las Vegas at NAB Show. Unfortunately, the pandemic and surge of the Delta variant has presented unexpected and insurmountable challenges for our global community. 

As we have always kept the best interest and safety of the industry as our priority, it has become apparent in the face of these challenges that we can no longer effectively host NAB Show or our co-located events, the Radio Show and Sales and Management Television Exchange, in person. 

NAB Show is the premiere destination for the media and entertainment industry and we will not move forward with a show that delivers anything less than the excellence our community has come to expect and deserves from us. 

While we are disappointed that we will not be together again in person next month, we look forward to converging at the 2022 NAB Show, April 23-27, 2022, to reignite our passion for our business and focus on a bright future ahead. 

Stay tuned for details regarding virtual options for accessing select 2021 NAB Show content through NAB Amplify.