Security News > 2020 > February > RSA: What it's like to attend the first tech conference after the coronavirus epidemic
San Francisco is the site of the RSA 2020 conference, which took place despite cancellations from IBM, Verizon and AT&T. As San Francisco declared a state of emergency and the federal government warned Americans that novel coronavirus will spread within the US, RSA 2020 still soldiered on at the Moscone Center.
On the first day of the security event, organizers sent a message through the conference app, encouraging attendees to knock elbows instead of shake hands.
They were packed into standing-room-only sessions throughout the conference center, which was unexpected after AT&T, Verizon and IBM bailed on the conference in the days before the event began on February 24, citing concerns about the coronavirus.
Most conference attendees based in the US said the low risk of contracting the virus was worth the benefit of attending.
Overall, except for the abundance of hand sanitizer stations, the conference didn't feel much different than any other tech conference.