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Sneaker Con Fort Lauderdale in 2019.
- Sneaker Con is the largest sneaker event in the world.
- The event's cofounder Alan Vinogradov said that despite coronavirus fears, things at Sneaker Con are business as usual.
- Sneaker Con Cleveland, which will happen on March 21, is set to have the most vendors - nearly 400 - ever at a show outside of New York.
- "I'm personally surprised because I really thought that people would react in a much more reserved way, not wanting to be out there," Vinogradov said. "But it's been pretty much the opposite of that."
- Tech companies have already canceled 12 high-profile conferences amid coronavirus concerns.
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While people across the world are cancelling large in-person events and forgoing handshakes at conferences, one massive gathering is still set to draw big crowds, despite the coronavirus panic.
Sneaker Con, the world's largest sneaker gathering, is having two major events later this month, in Phoenix, Arizona, and Cleveland, Ohio. Sneaker Con cofounder and organizer Alan Vinogradov said that both of these events are shaping up to be the biggest Sneaker Cons in either of those cities.
"I'm personally surprised because I really thought that people would react in a much more reserved way, not wanting to be out there," Vinogradov told Business Insider, referring to the recent tendency for people to want to stay away from large crowds to avoid any contact with the coronavirus, which has infected more than 111,000 people worldwide, with most cases in China. "But it's been pretty much the opposite of that."
In fact, Sneaker Con Cleveland, which is slated for March 21, is set have the most vendors - nearly 400 - ever at a show outside of New York.
"They just keep catching more and more steam leading up to them," Vinogradov said of the two upcoming events.
Sneaker Con regularly draws thousands of sneakerheads to its gatherings, which occur multiple times a year in different locations around the world. Though Vinogradov detailed different ways in which the coronavirus has impacted the sneaker resale market as a whole, he said everything at Sneaker Con itself has been pretty much stable.
"We are really, at this time, treating everything as business as usual," Vinogradov said. He added that there are plans for two events in Asia slated for later in the year and that there are currently no plans to cancel either of them.
Tech companies have already canceled 12 high-profile conferences, including tech and culture festival SXSW and IBM's biggest developer conference of the year, Think, amid coronavirus concerns.
In terms of protocol for the events, Vinogradov said he and his team are taking cues from local government and building management regarding safety and health precautions.
"A lot of our protocols are really driven by the venues we're utilizing," Vinogradov said. "And since most of the venues are managed by local and state governments, we just really look to them in terms of what type of protocols to set."
He added that despite the tension from the coronavirus panic, people should focus on buying specific pairs of shoes at this point in time.
"I really do believe that right now is a great time to be buying," Vinogradov said. "You should be buying certain models that you think are favorable to the sneaker culture and holding onto them."