Showfloor Buzz – March 15, 2021

EACA News

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EACA Member Open House.   The EACA will host our monthly Open House  for all members on Friday, March 19 to gather, chat and catch up on all the important information that is needed to successfully navigate the COVID pandemic until our event industry re-opens.

The Open House begins in the Main Zoom room as Jim Wurm, Executive Director, provided an overview of the current state of affairs in our industry from the perspective of industry coalitions like GoLiveTogether, LiveEventsCoalition, Clean Start Tax Credit Coaltion, and the newly formed Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance (ECA).   Jim will also share insights on the brightening 2021 event schedule based on news reports and recent conversations with show organizer clients.  The Open House also contained breakout rooms discussions on topics like PPP, CBA Renewals, Safety Protocols/Vaccines, Future Workforce and Managing Cash Flow.

EACA Website Features Side Hustles. As the EAC community has been one of the most heavily impacted groups in our industry many individuals have been inspired to generate side hustles to pay the bills.    The EACA is happy to support those that hustle by providing a space on the EACA website to advertise your gig.    Just click on the Side Hustle link and fill out the form.   Best of luck to all our hustlers.

EACA Webinar Schedule

  • EACA Member Open House.    On Friday March 19 at 1pm ET, 12pm CT, the EACA will host its monthly Open House for all Members.   Additional details to be provided in the near future.
  • Las Vegas Chapter Zoom Call.   The next Las Vegas Chapter Zoom call will take place on Tuesday, March 30 at 10am PT.   Invites will be sent out to EACA members a week in advance.
  • Venue Plans for 2021  The EACA will be conducting a live webinar on Friday, April 2, at 1pm ET, 12pm CT, and 10am PT, to discuss Show Schedules at Key Venues with our panel of esteemed Facility Management.

EACA Has Relocated.   The EACA has moved its HQ office recently and would like to announce the address of our new fabulous headquarters.   You can now find us at:

EACA
4879 SW Zenith Ave.
Redmond, OR  97756

EACA Member News

Local 631 Opens Medical Center for Members.   Teamsters Local 631 opened its first medical center for plan participants and their families.  The Medical Center is located at 7375 Peak Drive, Suite 110.  Services are free for plan participants, spouses, and children aged 2 and older.  Primary care services include physical therapy, health coaching, chronic condition coaching and more than 100 prescription medications.

Employco Update on Employee Tax Credit.  The employee retention tax credit is up to 7k per employee per quarter for the 1st and 2nd qtr of 2021 (total potential credit is 14k per employee). There must a drop in revenue of at least 20% between 2019 and 2020/2021.

Employco Provides Key State Unemployment Info.    As many members have made inquiries about the various state-by-state rules and regulations on the impact of furloughs and PPP on unemployment insurance our partners at Employco USA have provided the attached Unemployment Summary.

2021 Union CBA Renewal Info.   EACA extends its thanks to Ben Power and Nth Degree for providing this summary of the schedule of union CBA renewals for our industry.    2021 CBA Renewals.

Sherwood Joins Eagle Management.    Reid Sherwood, formerly of Optima Graphics, has announced that he is joining Eagle Management Group.  Congratulations to all.

 

 

Industry News

Momentum Builds on Industry Restart <TSNN>   bevy of good news and in-person events held recently signal positive momentum toward a restart of the trade show industry in the United States that effectively has been put on hold since spring of last year.

Here are some more positive updates:

Las Vegas Gathering Limits Upped
Nev. Gov. Steve Sisolak outlined the reopening timelines for Nevada, that included gathering limits. On March 15, gatherings were raised to 50% capacity.  On May 1 – the goal is to transition authority from state to local governments for mitigation management. This is good news for Las Vegas overall and especially shows like World of Concrete that is scheduled to open in June.

Pritzker “Cautiously Optimistic”
When asked about the possibility of loosening restrictions on gatherings and potentially moving forward to the next phase of reopening on Thursday, Illinois Governro Pritzker said that he remains “cautiously optimistic” that larger-scale events could begin to take place later this year.  “I want to get to Phase 5 as fast as humanly possible,” Pritzker said. “We’re being cautious, but I’m also cautiously optimistic. It’s one of the reasons why we’ve begun to open up even more.”  Pritzker expressed optimism that “medium-sized” gatherings could take place late this summer, including conventions and outdoor events, with safety precautions in place.

Looking to the Future
A Wall Street Journal opinion piece was posted Feb. 19 that said herd immunity could be reached by April with the current amount of people who already have had COVID-19 and the vaccinations taking place.”

GCs Look to Simplify Drayage Rates.   At press time, EACA heard from several sources that General Contractors are looking to simplify drayage rates to minimize confusion and complexity as events re-open.    More details to follow when they are available.

IMEX America is a Go for November.  Proclaiming the industry is sick of virtual events, IMEX Group Chairman and Founder Ray Bloom reaffirmed that the company’s signature trade show, IMEX America will happen as scheduled this November 9-11 in Las Vegas

Freeman Attendee Survey.   In a recent survey Freeman learned that 78% of attendees expect to attend an event this fall and that expectation jumps to 94% by winter.