Last January, Surf Expo, a major trade show for the water-sports and beach-lifestyle industries, took place at the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) in Orlando, FL. Ordinarily this would not be considered an unusual occurrence. But these are not ordinary times.

Produced by Emerald X LLC, this iteration of Surf Expo was understandably reduced in scope, according to SGB Media, with 319 exhibitors over 100,000 square feet, compared to 200,000 square feet of exhibit space the last time the show was held in January of 2020. Even scaled down, however, the show demonstrated exhibitions could begin their comeback and, by some metrics, even thrive in an uncertain environment. For example, buyer to exhibitor ratios increased by 23 percent, while exhibitor net promoter scores spiked by 63 percent compared to the 2020 show. Surf Expo's success was due in large part to the protective measures taken by Emerald, including a series of proactive health and safety protocols it had tested out previously at IGES, the International Gift Exposition in the Smokies.

Now, with Nevada announcing that meeting, trade show, and entertainment venues will be allowed – if their various safety plans are approved by the state – to operate at a 50-percent capacity, it's more imperative than ever before to understand how those events can be made safe. EXHIBITOR sat down with Roy Turner, senior vice president at Emerald and Surf Expo show director, for a debrief on how the event was kept secure for exhibitors and attendees.

EXHIBITOR Magazine: What was your biggest worry going into Surf Expo?
Roy Turner: Safety has always been at the forefront. Once we determined there was a market need from our exhibitors and attendees, our focus was putting in place protocols focused on meeting safely.
EM: What kind of health and safety plan did you develop for Surf Expo?
RT: All the general health and safety protocols and guidelines that we had strictly implemented at International Gift Exposition in the Smokies (IGES) were carried over to Surf Expo. The only area of change to our health and safety measures were the location and convention-center guideline and protocol adjustments due to our change in location from Tennessee to Florida, and convention center (LeConte Center to the OCCC). That was it. The overall plan stayed basically the same.

That said, we took the same overall principles from IGES and developed a specific Surf Expo health and safety plan that would cover the journeys of exhibitors, attendees, and staff, so to speak. The strategy aligned with our standing Emerald Preparedness, Prevention, and Response Plan, which was built upon the All Secure Guidelines developed by the Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO), and was further tailored to adhere to Florida's, Orange County's, and the OCCC's health and safety requirements.

EM: Tell us more about how it was specifically tailored.
RT: The Surf Expo team worked closely with the OCCC to review and implement our health and safety plan, which included: reviewing controlled points of entry (taking into consideration shuttles, hotels, and parking lot access); implementing daily temperature checks of all attendees; and studying OCCC health and safety protocols for staff, food and beverage, signage, hand sanitizing stations, and cleaning to effectively integrate them all into Surf Expo's overall plan. In other words, we tried to cover all the vulnerable points of a show. Even more than that, we worked with OCCC to incorporate Emerald's health and safety protocols with other groups in the building. For example, we studied the move-in and move-out procedures and ensured those would take place complying with the above procedures.
EM: Did you use pre-show communication to prepare attendees for the expo's preventive measures?
RT: We did. We developed a comprehensive communication plan for exhibitors and attendees to inform and remind them of health and safety protocols. This included extensive pre-show communications that were targeted to all attendees, both buyers and exhibitors. We developed email campaigns for both that focused on "things to know before the show" to generate awareness of the safety protocols before arriving on site. These were very important because they set their expectations on what to expect at the event to ensure they were aware of and prepared for all protocols in place.

The Surf Expo team also worked with Visit Orlando to create a health and safety video to post on the website which we linked to in pre-show communications to our attendees. Again, this helped them know what to expect when they arrived and would increase compliance with all the various protocols. The video illustrated what attendees should expect on site, including temperature checks being conducted, optimal physical distancing, use of hand sanitizer, and no-contact interactions.

EM: Some groups, such as the World Health Organization, suggest that attendees at a mass gathering fill out self-reporting health forms before they can enter events or exhibitions. Did Surf Expo do this, or consider doing this?
RT: Yes, we did. Surf Expo asked each attendee to complete a self-assessment stating that they are symptom-free before arriving at the show site each day. The daily self-assessment requirement was also included in the onsite terms and conditions waiver which all attendees had to sign at registration prior to receiving their badge to enter Surf Expo. We also required each of our vendors to ensure that their employees completed a self-assessment that they are symptom-free before arriving on show site each day.
EM: Can you describe the check-in process for guests who physically attended?
RT: Once guests went through one of our four controlled entrances to the convention center itself, they were stopped at our temperature check stations where their temperature was taken. If it was below the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) recommended threshold of 100.4-degrees, they received their daily wrist band. That band allowed anyone on the show floor to know they had been cleared to enter that day.

Guests were also offered an appropriate face mask, if they weren't currently wearing one that met CDC and show standards, such as a face shield, bandana, or gaiter. Fortunately, the pre-show communication seems to have done its work, with the large majority of attendees arriving with appropriate face masks. So, after receiving their wrist bands, guests proceeded to registration where they signed the show's terms and conditions and received their badge. The attendees could then go the hall to gain entrance to the show. Each day, all guests followed the process of entering the facility through the controlled entrances and passing their temperature check to receive a new daily wristband which, along with their badge, were checked by security before they could actually gain physical entrance to the show floor.

EM: What devices for temperature taking did you use? And what happened if someone's temp was past the cut-off point of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit?
RT: We used SmartXcan-Temperature Solution devices, which were placed at each of three controlled entrances to the show floor and monitored by staff from the show's security vendor. If someone were to have a higher temperature than 100.4 degrees, they were given the opportunity to leave the premises to cool down in case it was an error caused by, say, a scarf or a hat warming them up to that level, or perhaps walking fast, which could also raise a person's temperature reading. After a brief break, they could come back and be rescanned again to make sure their temperature wasn't too high.
EM: Were attendees let in all at once, or was there some kind of pulsed entry to prevent bunching up?
RT: Attendees were asked to continue social distancing after entering the show-floor security monitored entrances with clickers at key entrances to keep hourly counts.

EM: Once inside, what was it like for attendees?
RT: Upon going through the appropriate entry-only doors, attendees dispersed in one of three 40-foot-wide entry aisles. Then, we also used 20-foot-wide cross aisles to space out the attendees even more. Hand-sanitizing stations were in abundance, as well as signage reminding everyone of social distancing, appropriate face mask usage, the no handshakes policy, and other safety cues. We had health and safety concierges positioned on the show floor for move-in, show days, and move-out, carrying signage to remind everyone to maintain social distancing and to wear face masks.

As our top priority was ensuring the health and safety of everyone while onsite, the Surf Expo team didn't have the usual social gatherings, educational sessions, fashion shows, and award programs that typically occurred at the show before the pandemic. Their absence helped the event maintain social distancing and health and safety measures.

EM: What kinds of cleaning protocols were at work inside the show floor?
RT: After show close each day, hydrostatic cleaning fog consisting of Peroxy HDOX (an EPA registered hydrogen-peroxide-based cleaner) was used on all hard surfaces such as door handles and tables, as well as the lounges and food courts. There was an increased frequency of trash emptying within the exhibit hall and additional porter service to continually wipe down all structures and high-touch areas at registration, information desks, show-floor lounges, and all other show management areas.

EM: Did exhibitors have any enhanced-cleaning options for their booths? If so, did they have to pay additional fees for such services?
RT: Exhibitors did have the option to purchase additional enhanced cleaning/disinfecting services through our general service contractor, Shepard Exposition Services. This included options such as purchasing Plexiglas barriers, hard-wall booths, and cleaning services. The cleaning services included display wipe down with sanitizing disinfectant, following Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) accreditation guidelines and using cleaning products approved by government regulatory agencies.
EM: How were food concessions handled?
RT: Emerald had reached out to our food and beverage partners early in the pre-planning stage to ensure that their health and safety standard were in alignment with ours. Once we had reviewed their plan, we worked with them and the facility on the placement of food and beverage carts in the food court, which were spaced 10 feet apart or more, as well as the placement of seating areas to maintain social distancing standards. In addition to that, we had signage throughout the seating areas emphasizing social distancing.

EM: Do you expect these changes will be with us for the foreseeable future, even with effective vaccines?
RT: All the protocols and guidelines that are outlined in Emerald's Preparedness, Prevention, and Response plan will remain in place at all Emerald in-person 2021 events for the foreseeable future. But to your point, given the evolving nature of the pandemic, including the threats posed by variants, Emerald is continuously monitoring and adapting its health and safety guidelines to ensure we provide a safe and secure in-person environment to conduct business. As the live-events industry gradually adapts and reopens for business, we'll keep pace with the evolving pandemic, emerging research, and any changes in thinking and practice that come our way.