A letter from the staff of ExhibitorLive:
“Our face-to-face marketing community continues to be filled with uncertainty. There are many questions and unfortunately very few answers. Many organizers have chosen to delay their events in 2021 to later dates in the year due to this uncertainty and the constantly changing status of the pandemic. We continue to pursue information for our event that is now four months away.
On March 13, 2020 we had to announce the postponement of EXHIBITORLIVE due to the COVID pandemic and the resulting shutdown of Las Vegas and the show’s venue, the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
The health and safety of our attendees, exhibitors, partners, and staff was then and still remains our top priority.
Much has been learned over the past seven months, but much is still unknown. Some tradeshows and conferences have been able to take place in recent weeks under greatly restricted state and local protocols, i.e., Las Vegas’ 250-person limit. Some shows are still tentatively slated to happen in the next couple of months. We hope to learn a lot from these other events both in and outside of the United States.
Nevada has recently modified its restrictions on mass gatherings and created specific guidelines for tradeshows and corporate events versus other gatherings. We continue to look to Mandalay Bay and MGM Resorts for guidance specific to their venue. It remains uncertain what approvals will be granted for events, and the recent surge in COVID cases has renewed discussions about strict limitations on large events across the country.
As stated in prior communications, all payments made for registrations, sponsorships, and exhibiting will be applied to these postponed EXHIBITORLIVE dates.
We appreciate your patience and understanding and want to assure you of our commitment to bringing the face-to-face marketing community together again — safely. We continue to closely monitor the advice and counsel of the CDC, WHO, and state and local health authorities, and we are reviewing best practices for events from IAEE, SISO, and UFI.
We continue to survey our audience of trade show and event marketing professionals. The majority of respondents tell us that they are currently under travel restrictions and will be into Q2 and Q3 of 2021.
At four months out from the event, we are currently contracted with Mandalay Bay for Feb. 28–March 4, 2021. We are exploring options for alternative dates should it be impossible to hold the event at that time. As we receive additional information and answers, we will continue to provide updates to all stakeholders.
In the absence of our being able to gather in person, we have been adding new and increased ways for the face-to-face marketing world to connect, learn, and shop for needed resources. We have celebrated awards for excellence, made Certified Trade Show Marketer certification available 100% online, grown our Find It – Marketplace of resources, expanded our EXHIBITOR eTrak educational offerings, and added our new channel for learning, EXHIBITORInsight. ”
One of the leaders in tradeshow and corporate event marketing education, Exhibitor Media Group publishes the award-winning EXHIBITOR magazine, a monthly publication featuring best practices in tradeshow marketing. EXHIBITOR’s learning events include: EXHIBITORLIVE, Best Practices in Trade Shows and Events; EXHIBITORFastTrak accelerated learning conferences; and EXHIBITOR eTrak, professional online learning. Exhibitor Media Group is also the founder and sponsor of CTSM (Certified Trade Show Marketer), the industry’s only university-affiliated professional certification program. For more info, visit www.ExhibitorOnline.com.
