The ongoing pandemic has left a massive mark on the year in progress. Countries all over the world have imposed strict measures to limits its spread, including a blanket ban on all events involving large masses of people gathering in the same venue.
As a result, pretty much every major concert, festival, trade show, and a similar event was postponed, canceled, rescheduled, or became online-only. This year, we only had the chance to take a look at the best gadgets presented at CES 2020 but couldn’t do the same with the MWC – it was the first major tech show canceled due to the pandemic, and it was followed by several more. Companies have delayed presenting their latest products or scheduled online-only events to show them off to the world. Luckily, many big names in the world of tech decided not to cancel their events but move them into the digital world. Here are some of the biggest ones that we’ll be able to follow online this year.
Microsoft Build (May 19-21)
Microsoft Build is a yearly event where the Redmond giant presents its latest products and technologies to developers from all over the world. Although a ticket is pretty pricey – it cost almost $2,400 last year – the attendance of the event is traditionally huge. This year, the event will be available for free.
This year, the event will only be held online – it will be more than just a simple live stream, offering expert guidance, one-on-one meetings with experts, and many opportunities to explore the latest Microsoft innovations.
Digital Transformation Conference (June 03-04)
Those following the Digital Transformation Conference online – free for a limited time – will have the chance to listen to speakers from all over the world, active in the area of digital business transformation.
There will be more than 20 presentations, keynotes, interviews, and panel across the event’s two days, and visitors will be able to join panel sessions across the several topics covered by the event.
Digital Transformation Conference also plans to hold its traditional in-person event later in the year.
WWDC (June 22)
The Apple Worldwide Developers Conference will still take place this year despite the restrictions imposed in the US – it will be held online. It will be the first “global, all-online WWDC”, as Apple put it.
Those curious about the event can download the Apple Developer app from the App Store to get the latest updates about the events and sessions, plus a lot more.
Black Hat USA (August 1-6)
The summer edition of the Black Hat computer security conference will also be held online this year. Those interested will have the chance to participate in training sessions and access skill-building opportunities in the first four days of the event, followed by two days of briefings from security experts and product presentations by security solutions providers.
Registrations to the event are currently closed while the transition to the online-only format is completed.
COMPUTEX Taipei (September 28-30)
This is the odd one out – so far, at least. The company behind COMPUTEX decided to postpone its flagship event instead of moving it online. Hoping that the predictions about the epidemic in the area will be right, the event was rescheduled for September.
And it will be a very exciting one, with innovations in areas like 5G, gaming, and smart solutions expected to be presented there.