ORLANDO, Fla. – (July 27, 2020) The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) welcomed its first trade show under modified operations on July 24, 2020. The Together Again Expo, hosted in collaboration with Alliance Nationwide Exposition, offered a hybrid solution to connect and reunite more than 1,400 live industry professionals and 8,225 virtual attendees as they gathered to join the conversation and learn how to navigate the safe future of live events.
The Together Again Expo featured a robust lineup of industry experts and more than 250 industry exhibitors.
Setting the standard on how live events may be hosted in the future, the OCCC and Alliance successfully revised the traditional trade show experience to offer a safe and controlled environment for attendees, exhibitors, speakers, and participants.
“We were honored to have played a role in the successful execution of the Together Again Expo,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “Gaining widespread industry attention, this event provided hope, optimism and practical solutions at a time when our industry needs it most. This groundbreaking industry collaboration, coupled with our Recovery and Resiliency Guidelines, GBAC STAR accreditation and partnership with Orlando Health elevates our rigorous protocols and shows our commitment to keeping employees, guests and attendees healthy and safe.”
Guided by its Recovery and Resiliency Plan, the OCCC implemented a series of precautionary measures, including controlling the check-in process to direct attendee flow, monitoring temperatures prior to entry, rearranging floor plans to respect physical distancing, implementing limited capacity on the exhibit floor, and providing complimentary Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits to all attendees and exhibitors.
As a Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR accredited venue, strict sanitation measures were also taken throughout the duration of the event, including the move-in and move-out process.
“The Together Again Expo has successfully brought theory into practice, and shown how we can come together again to do business,” said Alliance Nationwide Exposition CEO Mark Yuska. “Touching on themes of safety, recovery and resiliency, we are proud to have connected our industry at this defining moment in history.”
Highlights of the event included the live Re-Open for Business General Session featuring leaders in the exhibitions, events, and hospitality industry and the virtual State of the Industry panel discussing advocacy for the exhibitions industry.
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About the Orange County Convention Center
The Orange County Convention Center is the second-largest convention facility in North America and provides approximately $3 billion in economic impact to Central Florida annually. In recent years, the Convention Center has averaged nearly 200 events, including 115 conventions and tradeshows that attract more than 1.5 million attendees to the region each year. For more information about the Orange County Convention Center, visit www.occc.net.
About Alliance Nationwide Exposition
Alliance Nationwide Exposition is a General Service Contractor providing exposition production, logistics, labor, and decor to over 527 events annually throughout the United States. Alliance operates in over 60 US cities with working experience in 560 hotels and convention centers.