The ongoing global coronavirus outbreak has claimed another major industrial manufacturing expo, as Grainger on Thursday afternoon told attendees that its 2020 Grainger Show — planned for March 15-17 in Orlando, FL — has been cancelled.

The event organizers previously posted an update on the show website Feb. 28 stating that the show was proceeding as scheduled, but the MRO products distribution giant — No. 1 on Industrial Distribution’s Big 50 List — made the tough call to cancel the annual event six days later.

“We are closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and have made the difficult — but important — decision to cancel this year’s Grainger Show,” the company said in an email to attendees, which included ID. “Even though the health risk in North America from the Coronavirus remains low, the situation is getting more complex each day.

“While we’re disappointed we won’t be together in Orlando, all 25,000 of our team members are committed to continuing to help our customers keep their operations working and people safe during this uncertain time.”

Grainger said that all Grainger facilities are currently open for business as usual.

The company said that as an immediate next step, all Grainger Show hotel reservations made within the event’s registration system will be canceled. For any attendees that have questions about arrangements made for them, they should contact graingershow@bcdme.com.

“For more details, as they become available, please visit the www.graingershow.com website,” Grainger said. “We appreciate your flexibility and support during this time.”

Held each year recently at the Orange County Convention Center, Grainger Show serves as the convention and exhibition for its supplier partners and employees. The 2019 event included 2,400 exhibitors, 550 exhibitor booths, 4,400 Grainger team members and about 6,000 total customers in attendance. The show also includes numerous industry-specific seminars and accredit sessions and provides an overall major networking opportunity for all things Grainger and MRO.