…World-wide, major conferences and trade shows are getting canceled or postponed at historic rates as the novel coronavirus leads companies to curtail nonessential trips and virus-hit countries restrict travel, leaving organizers with little choice but to call off international gatherings planned for months. From Beijing to San Francisco the cancellations added up to millions of lost visits and tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue for local economies. Organizers in Asia, Europe and North America have canceled or postponed at least 440 trade shows and exhibitions in response to the coronavirus this year, including scores during the past week. The impact was reverberating across everyone from conference sponsors and exhibitors to airport shopkeepers and restaurateurs to hotel clerks and bartenders dependent on tips. …The cancellations raised hard questions for organizers over whether to refund participants for circumstances beyond their control. [a WSJ subscription is required to access the full story]