The EACA conducted a live webinar on Friday, January 22 to discuss Venue Plans for 2021 with our panel of esteemed Facility Management.

COVID-19 has paralyzed the exhibits and events industry since last March and has almost completely restricted our industry’s venues from hosting events.  With few exceptions, the dictates of statewide lockdowns prevent any “mass gatherings” in our convention facilities for more than 50 people, while grocery outlets like Costco routinely welcome hundreds of people at a time.    Several “demonstration events” have been held in the last 6 months to show the powers that be that events can be held safely and responsibly but it’s evident that the appetite to take the wraps off our facilities is not yet there – particularly when the issue of liability protections has not been legislated and is unsettled.

To that end we hosted a conversation on this topic with the following panel:

  • Mark Tester, Executive Director, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando
  • Anthony Lopez, General Mgr, Dallas Convention Center
  • Steve Patterson, Sr. Mgr. Convention Svcs., Las Vegas Convention Center