SARS kills Softex exhibition

The 2003 Softex trade show in Taipei, originally scheduled to start this Friday, has been cancelled as a result of SARS concerns, show organizer Taipei Computer Association (TCA) announced today.According to a recent TCA survey of exhibitors, over 90% said they hoped the show would be canceled this year. Originally, about 200 companies had planned to take part in the show and together they were expected to take up to 1,000 booths.Over 80 companies, including heavyweights like IBM, Acer, Synnex Technology International and Hewlett-Packard (HP), were reported to have decided to drop out of the show.In addition to worries of possible infections, companies expected poor sales at the event. Softex 2002 attracted about 320,000 visitors, but the number of the visitors could have plunged by as much as 50-70% this year, the TCA said.Losses resulting from the cancellation are "enormous and incalculable," said a TCA official. To minimize the damage, TCA has decided to support exhibitors with its own funds and will refund 50% of exhibitors’ fees, the official said.Source: DigiTimes