Google's physical event of I/O 2020 cancelled

Google I/O 2020 was announced in January, with the ticket application and drawing process taking place late last month. It was scheduled to be held from 12 May 2020 to 14 May 2020. However, Google decided to call it off due to the concerns over the coronavirus outbreak. Going by the recommendations of CDC, WHO, and other health authorities, Google had to cancel the physical Google I/O event, its biggest annual event at Shoreline Amphitheatre.

We are well aware that the coronavirus has spread to many countries around the globe. While several companies have cancelled its physical event and decided to instead host it online, Google is also going the same way. Recently, MWC was cancelled and the companies that had scheduled events there, had to launch their products separately via their own online events.

Google confirmed, those who purchased tickets will be fully refunded by March 13, while registered guests via draw this year will automatically be able to purchase I/O 2021 passes. Moreover, Google will also be providing $1 million to local Mountain View organizations to compensate for the sudden cancellation of the event. The Shoreline Amphitheatre was booked for around 7000 attendees.

Google as a tech giant is well-equipped to manage and stream this event online with multiple schedules running at the same time. It has been traditionally streaming all its events over YouTube every year; so it will not be a tough task for Google to manage the event online.