The coronavirus pandemic has cancelled a number of auto shows including events in Detroit, New York and Geneva.
However, the SEMA Show is still moving forward despite the fact that the United States is experiencing a second-wave of infections.
Just last month, organizers announced “thousands of exhibitors and attendees are registered and planning to attend the 2020 SEMA Show” which is scheduled to take place in November at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Also Read: Detroit Auto Show Cancelled As Event Center To Be Turned Into Hospital Amid Coronavirus Crisis
At the time, SEMA’s vice president of events, Tom Gattuso, said “We are steadfast in our belief that our members and our industry will recover more quickly from the current climate by safely coming together to share ideas and look ahead to strategize for 2021 and beyond.” He went on to describe this year’s show as “one of the hardest events we have produced,” but along “among the most gratifying.”
More recently, SEMA said the show is still scheduled for November and they’re “working closely with the state of Nevada and local health officials, and are in communication with experts on safety protocols to provide show goers with a safe, productive, and successful show.”
Among the safety measures being discussed are “social density concepts like directional traffic flow and distancing measures” as well as the use of face masks. That’s on top of increased cleaning, reduced touch points, and streamlined food services with touchless and cashless transactions.
Of course, SEMA has acknowledged the situation is “very fluid” and things could potentially change. However, they’re promising to keep people informed with regular updates throughout the summer and into September.
That’s probably a wise decision as some states have been reporting more than 10,000 new cases of COVID-19 daily. Nevada isn’t as hard hit as California or Florida, but their Department of Health and Human Services confirmed 849 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday. That brings the state’s total number of confirmed cases to 30,468 and the number of new daily cases has been trending upwards since mid-June.
Update – SEMA has announced a series of safety measures for the 2020 Show. They include:
* Require use of face masks or face shields, frequent hand washing and social distancing
* Designate entrance and exit areas to control and screen visitors with discrete daily health queries, incorporating non-invasive thermal cameras, etc.
* Configure traffic flow with one-way aisles where possible
* Install hand sanitizing stations throughout the Show, 200 feet apart
* Enhance physical cleaning with hourly sanitizing of high traffic areas throughout the Show floor and common areas, including doorways, elevators, and escalators
* Collaborate with Las Vegas Convention Center in their advancements to be among the first in the nation to pursue certification for safety measures aimed at outbreak prevention through actions such as sanitizing the facility nightly