8 ms·

SXSW Cancelled Due to Coronavirus

188 points by estreeper 7y ago

halfmatthalfcat 7y ago
It was only a matter of time and happening all over the country. F8, GDC, HIMSS, Ultra Music Festival, etc etc. Its for the greater good.
- birdyrooster 7y ago
  It's all about the greater good.
  - jgalentine007 7y ago
    The greater good...
xwdv 7y ago
WWDC will also be cancelled.
- AdamJacobMuller 7y ago
  Very likely, but, I don't think they have to announce that yet. We're 2 months out.
  - xwdv 7y ago
    Nothing will happen in 2 months that suddenly makes it safe to hold an event of that size attended by developers from all across the world. It’s over.
    - positr0n 7y ago
      What about summmer? Honest question that I haven't seen discussed enough to form an opinion on. Flu and the common cold are drastically curtailed by late spring and it seems reasonable that coronavirus spread could also dramatically slow until the season starts again this fall.
      - bcrosby95 7y ago
        The only answer you're going to get out of someone that isn't talking out their ass is: hopefully it will be curtailed by summer, but we don't really know. And keep in mind that summer in some places is winter in others.
        davidw 7y ago
        Relevant: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/06/its-a-false-hope-coronavirus-will-disappear-in-the-summer-like-the-flu-who-says.html https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/06/its-a-false-hope-coronavirus... No one knows.
        DaveEM 7y ago
        There is data on the flu and COVID-19 from parts of the world that are in summer vs. winter. As the situation evolves further this data should enable making a better educated guess: Influenza: https://www.who.int/influenza/surveillance_monitoring/updates/latest_update_GIP_surveillance/en/ https://www.who.int/influenza/surveillance_monitoring/update... COVID-19: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/685d0ace521648f8a5beeeee1b9125cd https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/685d0ace521648f8a5b... (linked from https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2...)
      - kalium_xyz 7y ago
        It worked for sars and mers, its reasonable to think it would happen for covid, however we dont know.
      - UncleOxidant 7y ago
        There are cases in warm places like Singapore and Thailand. Yes, they think transmission could be slowed in warm humid weather, but most warm places in the world have air conditioning.
        inferiorhuman 7y ago
        A friend of mine recently went Guangdong -> HK -> Thailand -> US. Their logic was along the lines of: Thailand has fewer cases than Singapore because Thailand has minimal air conditioning compared to places like Singapore or the US. We'll see.
    - tomerico 7y ago
      That’s a very speculative statement. It’s quite possible that the Virus spread will stop as the weather warms up.
      - alasdair_ 7y ago
        >That’s a very speculative statement. It’s quite possible that the Virus spread will stop as the weather warms up. Based on what data? This is something that Trump said and was immediately shut down on. We simply don't know enough to make any statements about spread probability yet.
        kalium_xyz 7y ago
        Based on prior coronavirus outbreaks, e.g. mers, sers, common cold. It and derivatives probably will be a winter cold for the next few years. Keep in mind that a lot of us are not Americans and don’t know or care what trump is saying.
        alasdair_ 7y ago
        >Keep in mind that a lot of us are not Americans and don’t know or care what trump is saying. I'm also "not American" (I'm Scottish) and so shall continue to keep the fact that a lot of us are "not Americans" in mind. That being said, "it’s quite possible that the Virus spread will stop as the weather warms up" implies the weather is going to "warm up", which is only relevant in the northern hemisphere. Half the planet is going to cool down. More importantly, the CDC (yes, a USAian source), recently stated ""At this time, it is not known whether the spread of COVID-19 [the illness caused by the coronavirus] will decrease when weather becomes warmer." so asking for data, or at least why this statement was claimed as "quite possible" is very reasonable. Finally, you claim that things will die down "based on prior coronavirus outbreaks, e.g. mers, sars" - here is a (peer reviewed, with abundant data) paper claiming the exact opposite of what you are claiming, specifically: "This study provided some evidence that there is a higher possibility for SARS to reoccur in spring than that in autumn and winter." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15709076 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15709076 So again I have to ask: based on what data do you draw your conclusions?
    - AdamJacobMuller 7y ago
      Of course it could. China could easily develop and push to humans a vaccine at a pace which would make our FDA cringe, but, once its out there and tested on humans in China there's a very small chance the FDA won't be effectively forced to allow it in the USA. Our containment efforts could prevent any significant self-sustaining communities in the USA. This seems plausible. Testing could advance to a point where Apple safely and effectively door tests attendees. This seems like something Apple would and will do, if they can (e.g. if testing advances far enough in the next month or so). I think Apple will announce a decision between 30-15 days out from the event and by that time their choice will be an obvious one.
      - chipotle_coyote 7y ago
        Apple tends to announce dates 2–3 months out from WWDC. Last year's were announced on March 14th; 2018's were announced March 13th; 2016's weren't announced until April 18th. (2017's dates were announced February 16th, but that was the first year in San Jose.) So they haven't cancelled it yet because they haven't announced it yet. They have the luxury of waiting up to another month to see how it seems things are going -- and if things go the way it seems everyone is predicting, that's absolutely what they're going to do. Personally, "WWDC moves online for 2020" seems way more likely to me than "Apple will go ahead and announce WWDC and then wait until two weeks out to see if they have to say 'sorry, everybody, see if you can get refunds for your hotel rooms and flights.'"
- _ph_ 7y ago
  WWDC would have to be announced first to be cancelled. Of course, everyone expects it for June, so also the likelyhood is large, that it is "cancelled" or rather converted (as it never got officially announced) into a on-line event.
AdamJacobMuller 7y ago
I'm speculating their insurance coverage only kicked in if they were forced to close.
- chrisseaton 7y ago
  They're likely not covered at all - pandemics are usually considered to be acts of God.
- bsder 7y ago
  > I'm speculating their insurance coverage only kicked in if they were forced to close. SXSW was definitely not going to cancel until forced. The more important piece than insurance, I suspect, is that they don't have to give full refunds now. It also probably means they can unilaterally cancel contracts.
- adrianmonk 7y ago
  An article from "Variety" (https://variety.com/2020/music/festivals/coronavirus-ultra-sxsw-coachella-cancel-insurance-city-1203525667/ https://variety.com/2020/music/festivals/coronavirus-ultra-s...) covers exactly this and agrees: > But he understands the hesitance to cancel — because even if most major promoters probably spent extra to have communicable disease provisions in their cancellation insurance, it wouldn’t likely kick in if they made a unilateral decision to cancel without the city forcing their hand to do so. In the above, "he" refers to an "entertainment manager" at an insurance company. Doesn't sound like firsthand knowledge, but it's still a very educated guess.
ProfessorLayton 7y ago
One interesting tidbit here is that the mayor made the call to cancel the event, not SXSW themselves. I understand the organizers stand to lose _a lot_ from cancellations, but this still seems like bad optics. Unrelated, but I have three big events I booked long ago that I'm either becoming weary of attending, or fear that they will be cancelled and I'll be on the hook for the hotel and other accommodations. One of them is at SF chase center (19K capacity) and SF recently announced infections. Not a good time to be a fan of live events. EDIT: Here's an interesting twitter thread that gives an isight into what smaller event organizers are going through due to the coronavirus https://twitter.com/jessiechar/status/1235685514667126786 https://twitter.com/jessiechar/status/1235685514667126786
- saystupidthings 7y ago
  I had an AI conference later this month in Palo Alto that was just canceled.
- cloakedarbiter 7y ago
  Here was SXSW's statement on the cancelation. > The City of Austin has cancelled the March dates for SXSW and SXSW EDU. SXSW will faithfully follow the City’s directions. We are devastated to share this news with you. “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. As recently as Wednesday, Austin Public Health stated that “there’s no evidence that closing SXSW or any other gatherings will make the community safer.” However, this situation evolved rapidly, and we honor and respect the City of Austin’s decision. We are committed to do our part to help protect our staff, attendees, and fellow Austinites. https://www.sxsw.com/2020-event-update/ https://www.sxsw.com/2020-event-update/
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - Trasmatta 7y ago
    I find their statement a bit irritating...they're basically saying "if it weren't for the city, we would have still done it, screw any consequences".
fourmyle 7y ago
Can’t wait to buy hospitality stocks in a few months.
- Leader2light 7y ago
  This won't be over in a few months. The world has changed.
RegnisGnaw 7y ago
Interesting that the official announcement makes no reference to refunds of tickets.
- cryptozeus 7y ago
  They are not refunding, saw few threads on twitter about that.
  - shreyshrey 7y ago
    What? How can they do that?
    - jameslevy 7y ago
      Perhaps they will offer a choice between a voucher for next year's event, or some type of (partial) refund.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
- lostgame 7y ago
  No refunds, no exchanges. I sense a class action lawsuit.
excerionsforte 7y ago
SXSW was really bent on going through with this massive event even though smaller events were being cancelled. The spread would likely happen through multiple contacts in airports and since there is a delay in symptoms if any, SXSW woould, in the worst case, been a super spreader event. You could bet lawsuits would have rained on them and likely the City of Austin. Sometimes, you just got to say no, we will not contribute to spreading this disease inadvertently and take the hit. SXSW organizers are unbelievable. To the people only thinking of themselves about this just being a "flu", I read this yesterday: https://twitter.com/kumailn/status/1235015662117908481 https://twitter.com/kumailn/status/1235015662117908481 It is not just about you. He pulled out of events because he wanted to limit contact to avoid spreading it to a vulnerable loved one.
- komali2 7y ago
  What standing would an infected person have against SXSW or the city of Austin?
  - excerionsforte 7y ago
    Your government at all levels are responsible for public safety. If you harm public safety (in)advertently, you can definitely expect lawsuits your way. Lawsuits are a matter of dispute. It does not matter if one "wins" or "lose".
    - mandelbrotwurst 7y ago
      That whether you've won or lost is subjective does not mean it doesn't matter.
- bg4 7y ago
  I thought they were waiting for the city to cancel it for insurance reasons.
  - randall 7y ago
    That will be what seems to have happened.
lbj 7y ago
Much ado over an uncommon flu
- pcurve 7y ago
  That's pretty disrespectful considering its much higher mortality rate. People aren't panicking for fun. https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-compared-to-flu-mortality-rates-2020-3 https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-compared-to-flu-...
  - adamiscool8 7y ago
    But many countries have stopped counting mild cases, and how many asymptomatic cases are out there already? I don't know if any modelling has been done, but the true mortality rate could be much, much lower -- perhaps even lower than a pandemic flu. [0] [0] https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2002387?query=recirc_curatedRelated_article https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2002387?query=rec...
    - pcurve 7y ago
      But in South Korea, they didn't just test people with symptoms; they tested anybody and everybody suspected of having contacts in certain region. Mortality rate is still significantly higher than common flu.
      - adamiscool8 7y ago
        It's 0.6% based on 42 deaths out of 6,284 confirmed cases out of 158,000 tests out of a population of 51 million. The flu is 0.1%, but COVID-19's mortality rate very easily could still be significantly overstated.
  - lbj 7y ago
    I'd be careful trying to gauge levels of respect based on a rhyme - And I'd be even more careful trying to assess the deathrate this early in the process.
cryptozeus 7y ago
“Cancelling SXSW represents about $350M in lost revenue for the city of Austin. This is an enormous act of civic responsibility”
cryptozeus 7y ago
No refunds will be given “#SXSW replied me saying they won't refund me Frowning face or exchange for 2021. For Brazilian standards the price of the ticket is VERY expensive and I'm cancelling my trip due to concerns related to coronavirus. I think they should refund me and the participants that decided not to attend”
- jmvoodoo 7y ago
  I'm sure if you used a credit card you'd have no problem getting an involuntary refund from SXSW. After a few thousand of those I'm sure their stance would change.
  - wuunderbar 7y ago
    You only have a 3-6 month window with most credit card providers to be able to initiate charge backs. So it very much depends on when you bought the retail ticket.
    - redis_mlc 7y ago
      There's a myth that chargebacks are automatic or easy. You have to make a chargeback complaint, have that investigated, get approval from your issuer, then wait for a refund.
      - errantmind 7y ago
        Sometimes it is pretty easy (Chase). I did a charge back on my card with the click of a button 'Dispute Charge'. I received a refund almost immediately and the dispute was sustained
- pcurve 7y ago
  Did you try canceling before the official cancellation announcement? If they're not issuing refund after the cancellation announcement, then they're finished. No more SXSW next year.
- 7y ago
tapatio 7y ago
The average American will die of cardiovascular disease, not the coronavirus. Rather than stock up on rice and masks and cancel events, people should address what’s most likely to kill them.
- ncallaway 7y ago
  This makes absolutely no sense at all. Given this line of reasoning, wouldn't it make sense to also not put seatbelts in automobiles? After all, it's not the most likely way to die. Should we bother looking both ways before crossing a street just because there is a low volume of pedestrian deaths? No, that's patently absurd because we have the capacity in this world to prepare for more than just the modal outcome. To suggest that we should only prepare for the modal way we might die is preposterous.
  - zaroth 7y ago
    I think the strongest possible interpretation of the comment is more along the lines of... does the cost/benefit of this decision really line up? Cancelling a $350 million event means people are not getting paid, maybe those people will not be able to afford rent next month, or groceries next week. Eventually, the cost is borne by those who are least able to shoulder the burden. It's flu season, but we still hold events because the cost/benefit of forbidding any large gathering for several months out of the year is also "preposterous". COVID is worse than the flu, perhaps even by 1 order of magnitude, but COVID is also many, many orders of magnitude less prevalent than the flu. We are talking about 310 cases in the US, versus 32 million cases of the flu. So five order of magnitude less prevalent. Secondary flu infection of elderly patients related to SXSW attendees who catch the flu at SXSW result in some number of deaths every year. In the end the decision isn't being made totally rationally, it's largely being made emotionally and politically. But there is a significant cost in the aggregate which rationally could totally outweigh the benefit.
    - tapatio 7y ago
      Exactly, you explained it much better than I could.
zaroth 7y ago
I think it's very interesting the disproportionate reaction that a virus or disease gets versus any other number of things that people risk their lives doing on a daily basis. Particularly for lesser known viruses or diseases which our brains haven't acclimated to. The CDC estimates that 31 million Americans caught the flu this year, resulting in about 200,000 hospitalizations, and between 12,000 - 30,000 people have died this season from flu-related complications. So as a rule of thumb you could say 10% of America infected, ~1% of those people are hospitalized, and 10% of those people die. Every year. Do we close events during the winter because of the flu? Of course not. We would never be able to have a winter-season event ever again. The flu vaccine is not particularly effective, some years it's even almost entirely ineffective, although most years about 50/50... I'm still of the (clearly unpopular) opinion that the response to COVID is 1 part science, and 3 parts hysteria. At the gym today I heard a great saying. Almost 3 million people die every year from obesity. Maybe instead of yelling at everyone to wash their hands, we should be yelling at everyone to eat a damn salad. SXSW is substantially less hazardous to the public health than McDonalds. Why is the response to this coronavirus so hysterical? You could come up with any number of fatality stats that have taken more lives since January than COVID-19. Lower respiratory infections (not COVID related) kill approximately 200,000 people a month. Malaria kills 50,000 a month. Even just driving kills 100,000 people a month. Rather than thinking SXSW organizers are unbelievable for not canceling, I think that the Mayor/City of Austin is unbelievable for canceling. Anyway, I just got back from a trip to Orlando, and Disney World and Universal, while not packed, certainly seemed busy. The CDC should do what they are setup to do; ensure that testing is both cheap, accurate, and readily available, that people are educated about how to reasonably decrease their chances of catching a virus, teach how to manage a mild infection and self-quarantine, and when to seek medical attention. IMO, we don't need to tank the world economy in order to do this.
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drcongo 7y ago
How does an article on _Techcrunch_ of all things get more upvotes than the official announcement?

188 points by estreeper 7y ago

It was only a matter of time and happening all over the country. F8, GDC, HIMSS, Ultra Music Festival, etc etc. Its for the greater good.

birdyrooster 7y ago
It's all about the greater good.
- jgalentine007 7y ago
  The greater good...

xwdv 7y ago

WWDC will also be cancelled.

AdamJacobMuller 7y ago
Very likely, but, I don't think they have to announce that yet. We're 2 months out.
- xwdv 7y ago
  Nothing will happen in 2 months that suddenly makes it safe to hold an event of that size attended by developers from all across the world. It’s over.
  - positr0n 7y ago
    What about summmer? Honest question that I haven't seen discussed enough to form an opinion on. Flu and the common cold are drastically curtailed by late spring and it seems reasonable that coronavirus spread could also dramatically slow until the season starts again this fall.
    - bcrosby95 7y ago
      The only answer you're going to get out of someone that isn't talking out their ass is: hopefully it will be curtailed by summer, but we don't really know. And keep in mind that summer in some places is winter in others.
      - davidw 7y ago
        Relevant: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/06/its-a-false-hope-coronavirus-will-disappear-in-the-summer-like-the-flu-who-says.html https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/06/its-a-false-hope-coronavirus... No one knows.
        DaveEM 7y ago
        There is data on the flu and COVID-19 from parts of the world that are in summer vs. winter. As the situation evolves further this data should enable making a better educated guess: Influenza: https://www.who.int/influenza/surveillance_monitoring/updates/latest_update_GIP_surveillance/en/ https://www.who.int/influenza/surveillance_monitoring/update... COVID-19: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/685d0ace521648f8a5beeeee1b9125cd https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/685d0ace521648f8a5b... (linked from https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2...)
    - kalium_xyz 7y ago
      It worked for sars and mers, its reasonable to think it would happen for covid, however we dont know.
    - UncleOxidant 7y ago
      There are cases in warm places like Singapore and Thailand. Yes, they think transmission could be slowed in warm humid weather, but most warm places in the world have air conditioning.
      - inferiorhuman 7y ago
        A friend of mine recently went Guangdong -> HK -> Thailand -> US. Their logic was along the lines of: Thailand has fewer cases than Singapore because Thailand has minimal air conditioning compared to places like Singapore or the US. We'll see.
  - tomerico 7y ago
    That’s a very speculative statement. It’s quite possible that the Virus spread will stop as the weather warms up.
    - alasdair_ 7y ago
      >That’s a very speculative statement. It’s quite possible that the Virus spread will stop as the weather warms up. Based on what data? This is something that Trump said and was immediately shut down on. We simply don't know enough to make any statements about spread probability yet.
      - kalium_xyz 7y ago
        Based on prior coronavirus outbreaks, e.g. mers, sers, common cold. It and derivatives probably will be a winter cold for the next few years. Keep in mind that a lot of us are not Americans and don’t know or care what trump is saying.
        alasdair_ 7y ago
        >Keep in mind that a lot of us are not Americans and don’t know or care what trump is saying. I'm also "not American" (I'm Scottish) and so shall continue to keep the fact that a lot of us are "not Americans" in mind. That being said, "it’s quite possible that the Virus spread will stop as the weather warms up" implies the weather is going to "warm up", which is only relevant in the northern hemisphere. Half the planet is going to cool down. More importantly, the CDC (yes, a USAian source), recently stated ""At this time, it is not known whether the spread of COVID-19 [the illness caused by the coronavirus] will decrease when weather becomes warmer." so asking for data, or at least why this statement was claimed as "quite possible" is very reasonable. Finally, you claim that things will die down "based on prior coronavirus outbreaks, e.g. mers, sars" - here is a (peer reviewed, with abundant data) paper claiming the exact opposite of what you are claiming, specifically: "This study provided some evidence that there is a higher possibility for SARS to reoccur in spring than that in autumn and winter." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15709076 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15709076 So again I have to ask: based on what data do you draw your conclusions?
  - AdamJacobMuller 7y ago
    Of course it could. China could easily develop and push to humans a vaccine at a pace which would make our FDA cringe, but, once its out there and tested on humans in China there's a very small chance the FDA won't be effectively forced to allow it in the USA. Our containment efforts could prevent any significant self-sustaining communities in the USA. This seems plausible. Testing could advance to a point where Apple safely and effectively door tests attendees. This seems like something Apple would and will do, if they can (e.g. if testing advances far enough in the next month or so). I think Apple will announce a decision between 30-15 days out from the event and by that time their choice will be an obvious one.
    - chipotle_coyote 7y ago
      Apple tends to announce dates 2–3 months out from WWDC. Last year's were announced on March 14th; 2018's were announced March 13th; 2016's weren't announced until April 18th. (2017's dates were announced February 16th, but that was the first year in San Jose.) So they haven't cancelled it yet because they haven't announced it yet. They have the luxury of waiting up to another month to see how it seems things are going -- and if things go the way it seems everyone is predicting, that's absolutely what they're going to do. Personally, "WWDC moves online for 2020" seems way more likely to me than "Apple will go ahead and announce WWDC and then wait until two weeks out to see if they have to say 'sorry, everybody, see if you can get refunds for your hotel rooms and flights.'"
_ph_ 7y ago
WWDC would have to be announced first to be cancelled. Of course, everyone expects it for June, so also the likelyhood is large, that it is "cancelled" or rather converted (as it never got officially announced) into a on-line event.

AdamJacobMuller 7y ago

I'm speculating their insurance coverage only kicked in if they were forced to close.

chrisseaton 7y ago
They're likely not covered at all - pandemics are usually considered to be acts of God.
bsder 7y ago
> I'm speculating their insurance coverage only kicked in if they were forced to close. SXSW was definitely not going to cancel until forced. The more important piece than insurance, I suspect, is that they don't have to give full refunds now. It also probably means they can unilaterally cancel contracts.
adrianmonk 7y ago
An article from "Variety" (https://variety.com/2020/music/festivals/coronavirus-ultra-sxsw-coachella-cancel-insurance-city-1203525667/ https://variety.com/2020/music/festivals/coronavirus-ultra-s...) covers exactly this and agrees: > But he understands the hesitance to cancel — because even if most major promoters probably spent extra to have communicable disease provisions in their cancellation insurance, it wouldn’t likely kick in if they made a unilateral decision to cancel without the city forcing their hand to do so. In the above, "he" refers to an "entertainment manager" at an insurance company. Doesn't sound like firsthand knowledge, but it's still a very educated guess.

ProfessorLayton 7y ago

One interesting tidbit here is that the mayor made the call to cancel the event, not SXSW themselves. I understand the organizers stand to lose _a lot_ from cancellations, but this still seems like bad optics. Unrelated, but I have three big events I booked long ago that I'm either becoming weary of attending, or fear that they will be cancelled and I'll be on the hook for the hotel and other accommodations. One of them is at SF chase center (19K capacity) and SF recently announced infections. Not a good time to be a fan of live events. EDIT: Here's an interesting twitter thread that gives an isight into what smaller event organizers are going through due to the coronavirus https://twitter.com/jessiechar/status/1235685514667126786 https://twitter.com/jessiechar/status/1235685514667126786

saystupidthings 7y ago
I had an AI conference later this month in Palo Alto that was just canceled.
cloakedarbiter 7y ago
Here was SXSW's statement on the cancelation. > The City of Austin has cancelled the March dates for SXSW and SXSW EDU. SXSW will faithfully follow the City’s directions. We are devastated to share this news with you. “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. As recently as Wednesday, Austin Public Health stated that “there’s no evidence that closing SXSW or any other gatherings will make the community safer.” However, this situation evolved rapidly, and we honor and respect the City of Austin’s decision. We are committed to do our part to help protect our staff, attendees, and fellow Austinites. https://www.sxsw.com/2020-event-update/ https://www.sxsw.com/2020-event-update/
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- Trasmatta 7y ago
  I find their statement a bit irritating...they're basically saying "if it weren't for the city, we would have still done it, screw any consequences".

fourmyle 7y ago

Can’t wait to buy hospitality stocks in a few months.

Leader2light 7y ago
This won't be over in a few months. The world has changed.

RegnisGnaw 7y ago

Interesting that the official announcement makes no reference to refunds of tickets.

cryptozeus 7y ago
They are not refunding, saw few threads on twitter about that.
- shreyshrey 7y ago
  What? How can they do that?
  - jameslevy 7y ago
    Perhaps they will offer a choice between a voucher for next year's event, or some type of (partial) refund.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
lostgame 7y ago
No refunds, no exchanges. I sense a class action lawsuit.

excerionsforte 7y ago

SXSW was really bent on going through with this massive event even though smaller events were being cancelled. The spread would likely happen through multiple contacts in airports and since there is a delay in symptoms if any, SXSW woould, in the worst case, been a super spreader event. You could bet lawsuits would have rained on them and likely the City of Austin. Sometimes, you just got to say no, we will not contribute to spreading this disease inadvertently and take the hit. SXSW organizers are unbelievable. To the people only thinking of themselves about this just being a "flu", I read this yesterday: https://twitter.com/kumailn/status/1235015662117908481 https://twitter.com/kumailn/status/1235015662117908481 It is not just about you. He pulled out of events because he wanted to limit contact to avoid spreading it to a vulnerable loved one.

komali2 7y ago
What standing would an infected person have against SXSW or the city of Austin?
- excerionsforte 7y ago
  Your government at all levels are responsible for public safety. If you harm public safety (in)advertently, you can definitely expect lawsuits your way. Lawsuits are a matter of dispute. It does not matter if one "wins" or "lose".
  - mandelbrotwurst 7y ago
    That whether you've won or lost is subjective does not mean it doesn't matter.
bg4 7y ago
I thought they were waiting for the city to cancel it for insurance reasons.
- randall 7y ago
  That will be what seems to have happened.

lbj 7y ago

Much ado over an uncommon flu

pcurve 7y ago
That's pretty disrespectful considering its much higher mortality rate. People aren't panicking for fun. https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-compared-to-flu-mortality-rates-2020-3 https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-compared-to-flu-...
- adamiscool8 7y ago
  But many countries have stopped counting mild cases, and how many asymptomatic cases are out there already? I don't know if any modelling has been done, but the true mortality rate could be much, much lower -- perhaps even lower than a pandemic flu. [0] [0] https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2002387?query=recirc_curatedRelated_article https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2002387?query=rec...
  - pcurve 7y ago
    But in South Korea, they didn't just test people with symptoms; they tested anybody and everybody suspected of having contacts in certain region. Mortality rate is still significantly higher than common flu.
    - adamiscool8 7y ago
      It's 0.6% based on 42 deaths out of 6,284 confirmed cases out of 158,000 tests out of a population of 51 million. The flu is 0.1%, but COVID-19's mortality rate very easily could still be significantly overstated.
- lbj 7y ago
  I'd be careful trying to gauge levels of respect based on a rhyme - And I'd be even more careful trying to assess the deathrate this early in the process.

cryptozeus 7y ago

“Cancelling SXSW represents about $350M in lost revenue for the city of Austin. This is an enormous act of civic responsibility”

cryptozeus 7y ago

No refunds will be given “#SXSW replied me saying they won't refund me Frowning face or exchange for 2021. For Brazilian standards the price of the ticket is VERY expensive and I'm cancelling my trip due to concerns related to coronavirus. I think they should refund me and the participants that decided not to attend”

jmvoodoo 7y ago
I'm sure if you used a credit card you'd have no problem getting an involuntary refund from SXSW. After a few thousand of those I'm sure their stance would change.
- wuunderbar 7y ago
  You only have a 3-6 month window with most credit card providers to be able to initiate charge backs. So it very much depends on when you bought the retail ticket.
  - redis_mlc 7y ago
    There's a myth that chargebacks are automatic or easy. You have to make a chargeback complaint, have that investigated, get approval from your issuer, then wait for a refund.
    - errantmind 7y ago
      Sometimes it is pretty easy (Chase). I did a charge back on my card with the click of a button 'Dispute Charge'. I received a refund almost immediately and the dispute was sustained
pcurve 7y ago
Did you try canceling before the official cancellation announcement? If they're not issuing refund after the cancellation announcement, then they're finished. No more SXSW next year.
7y ago

tapatio 7y ago

The average American will die of cardiovascular disease, not the coronavirus. Rather than stock up on rice and masks and cancel events, people should address what’s most likely to kill them.

ncallaway 7y ago
This makes absolutely no sense at all. Given this line of reasoning, wouldn't it make sense to also not put seatbelts in automobiles? After all, it's not the most likely way to die. Should we bother looking both ways before crossing a street just because there is a low volume of pedestrian deaths? No, that's patently absurd because we have the capacity in this world to prepare for more than just the modal outcome. To suggest that we should only prepare for the modal way we might die is preposterous.
- zaroth 7y ago
  I think the strongest possible interpretation of the comment is more along the lines of... does the cost/benefit of this decision really line up? Cancelling a $350 million event means people are not getting paid, maybe those people will not be able to afford rent next month, or groceries next week. Eventually, the cost is borne by those who are least able to shoulder the burden. It's flu season, but we still hold events because the cost/benefit of forbidding any large gathering for several months out of the year is also "preposterous". COVID is worse than the flu, perhaps even by 1 order of magnitude, but COVID is also many, many orders of magnitude less prevalent than the flu. We are talking about 310 cases in the US, versus 32 million cases of the flu. So five order of magnitude less prevalent. Secondary flu infection of elderly patients related to SXSW attendees who catch the flu at SXSW result in some number of deaths every year. In the end the decision isn't being made totally rationally, it's largely being made emotionally and politically. But there is a significant cost in the aggregate which rationally could totally outweigh the benefit.
  - tapatio 7y ago
    Exactly, you explained it much better than I could.

zaroth 7y ago

I think it's very interesting the disproportionate reaction that a virus or disease gets versus any other number of things that people risk their lives doing on a daily basis. Particularly for lesser known viruses or diseases which our brains haven't acclimated to. The CDC estimates that 31 million Americans caught the flu this year, resulting in about 200,000 hospitalizations, and between 12,000 - 30,000 people have died this season from flu-related complications. So as a rule of thumb you could say 10% of America infected, ~1% of those people are hospitalized, and 10% of those people die. Every year. Do we close events during the winter because of the flu? Of course not. We would never be able to have a winter-season event ever again. The flu vaccine is not particularly effective, some years it's even almost entirely ineffective, although most years about 50/50... I'm still of the (clearly unpopular) opinion that the response to COVID is 1 part science, and 3 parts hysteria. At the gym today I heard a great saying. Almost 3 million people die every year from obesity. Maybe instead of yelling at everyone to wash their hands, we should be yelling at everyone to eat a damn salad. SXSW is substantially less hazardous to the public health than McDonalds. Why is the response to this coronavirus so hysterical? You could come up with any number of fatality stats that have taken more lives since January than COVID-19. Lower respiratory infections (not COVID related) kill approximately 200,000 people a month. Malaria kills 50,000 a month. Even just driving kills 100,000 people a month. Rather than thinking SXSW organizers are unbelievable for not canceling, I think that the Mayor/City of Austin is unbelievable for canceling. Anyway, I just got back from a trip to Orlando, and Disney World and Universal, while not packed, certainly seemed busy. The CDC should do what they are setup to do; ensure that testing is both cheap, accurate, and readily available, that people are educated about how to reasonably decrease their chances of catching a virus, teach how to manage a mild infection and self-quarantine, and when to seek medical attention. IMO, we don't need to tank the world economy in order to do this.

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drcongo 7y ago

How does an article on _Techcrunch_ of all things get more upvotes than the official announcement?