
Google Cloud Next 2020 – in person event cancelled - twistedpair
https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/google-cloud-next
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jpxw
This post is dripping in PR-speak. “Retransforming” the event? Can we not just
have plain English for once?

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hcnews
Please log a thoughtful suggestion with our nearest customer service
representative at your convenience. Hope you have a great rest of the day!

~~~
animalnewbie
* Customer care executive

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Reedx
I'm surprised SXSW hasn't cancelled yet. That's a huge gathering starting in
less than 2 weeks.

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orliesaurus
It would crush the Austin economy, there are businesses in the downtown which
rent out their "space" for the 2/3 weeks of SXSW and make more money in this
period of time, than they would otherwise do all year long!

"The annual festival increased its economic impact to the City of Austin to
$355.9 million in 2019, according to an analysis by Greyhill Advisors and
South by Southwest." [1]

[1] [https://www.kxan.com/news/coronavirus/austin-business-
owners...](https://www.kxan.com/news/coronavirus/austin-business-owners-call-
for-cancellation-of-sxsw-citing-coronavirus-concerns/)

~~~
xhkkffbf
Yes! It's not a surprise that the cloud companies like Google or Amazon or
Salesforce want to cancel events. They don't lose much -- and might even gain
by encouraging more digital interaction.

It's the waiters, hotel workers, cab drivers etc. who are really going to be
squeezed. It's going to be rough for them.

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9nGQluzmnq3M
Not cancelled, but "reimagined" into an all-digital event. @dang, please
update description and link to point here:

[https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/google-cloud-
next/join-...](https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/google-cloud-next/join-us-
for-google-cloud-next20-digital-connect)

~~~
Johnny555
It's still effectively cancelled. An online-only streaming event is not the
same thing as a 30,000 attendee in-person event. (where the networking is more
important than the presentations that are live-streamed anyway)

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blhack
There's a question I've proposed to some of my friends, which I will also
propose here:

Do you think that we will see Chinese style quarantining in the US? If not:
why not? What do you think is different about the US that would allow us to
attack this disease differently?

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animalnewbie
Quarantining isn't a magic wand. It needs a lot of manpower who is also
dedicated. The enforcers in China are communist party members. China can build
a 1000bed hospital in 10 days. In America that's the time needed for
PowerPoint slides during meetings and money-funneling off it.

~~~
blhack
So are you saying we won't do these quarantines simply because we _can 't_?

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PeterisP
Not the parent poster; but yeah, that and also because of the expected
resistance (possibly violent) by the population; it seems that the Chinese
have mostly been compliant with the quarantines and it seems that Americans
will not be as compliant, so any quarantine attempts will be less effective,
bring less benefit.

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spicyramen
Such a bad timing Google Cloud is always a good event to attend. I guess AWS
reinvent will be fine by the end of the year

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etxm
Check up on how the Spanish Flu played out after the summer.

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bruth
Yes it is a "spin" and yes technically the "in person" component is canceled
(but who knows how they will emulate the hallway tracks)... but frankly this
is a responsible change.

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j0e1
Please update link to [https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/google-cloud-
next/join-...](https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/google-cloud-next/join-us-
for-google-cloud-next20-digital-connect)

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throw03172019
Does anyone know what happens to the Airline tickets?

The expo booth shipping/handling? Do the companies eat the cost? Some of the
big booths can cost thousands to ship to the conference and typically get
shipped out weeks prior (for cheaper rates / slower transit).

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anb10
It would be fun to see at the end of the year that the worldwide cancellation
of useless events (not picking on this particular one) had exactly zero
economic impact.

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hashamali
Actual link: [https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/google-cloud-
next/join-...](https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/google-cloud-next/join-us-
for-google-cloud-next20-digital-connect)

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m0zg
Good. In-person events are _very_ environmentally irresponsible, and
unnecessary.

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rosstex
Better link:
[https://cloud.withgoogle.com/next/sf/](https://cloud.withgoogle.com/next/sf/)

~~~
codys
or [https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/google-cloud-
next/join-...](https://cloud.google.com/blog/topics/google-cloud-next/join-us-
for-google-cloud-next20-digital-connect)

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qrbLPHiKpiux
Did they remove it?

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jpxw
Looks like it

Edit: nvm, just was a bad link

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xhkkffbf
Google Cloud, Azure and AWS all support internet companies like Netflix or
Amazon. Is it any mystery that they compete against F2F companies like malls,
theaters, and stadia? Is it a surprise that they're being so cautious? They
have little to lose and lots to gain.

I feel sorry for the service workers who are being squeezed so hard by this
disease.

