by Angelo Gangone, Executive VP of AWFS®
Las Vegas and the Fair will have more “pre-pandemic” feel than anticipated!
With cases of Covid-19 continuing to trend downward and the number of vaccinated individuals continuing to expand, last week we also received some welcome news from local government officials in Clark County, Nevada. The local COVID-19 mitigation plan will expire June 1, allowing for the return of pre-pandemic guidelines that lift restrictions involving capacity limits, large gatherings, and more.
The new CDC guidance on masks recommends that those who are not vaccinated continue wearing masks, social distancing, and other precautions until fully vaccinated. The guidance allows fully vaccinated people to stop wearing face coverings in crowds and in many indoor locations. The new guidance at the federal, state and now local level allows private businesses and organizations to require patrons and employees to wear face coverings.
Health and safety continue to remain a top priority of AWFS®Fair and Fair management will continue to work closely with the Las Vegas Convention Center and the Visitor’s Authority to ensure that we make the event as safe and comfortable as possible for all participants. For more information regarding Clark County’s recent post-June 1 Covid guidelines, click here.
There will be a lot of NEW at this year’s Fair!
Participants will get to experience many new and welcome changes during this year’s show including: our new Tuesday through Friday day pattern; the Las Vegas Conventions Center’s newly constructed West hall and home for this year’s AWFS®Fair; the opening Las Vegas newest property, Resorts World, which will serve as the Fair’s host hotel and the newly introduced LVCC Loop transportation system, developed by Elon Musk’s Boring Company. However, the most important new features at this year’s show, will include the new products and services that many of our attendees will be able to see for the very first time since 2019.
It is common knowledge in the trade show industry, that new products are consistently the number one reason buyers cite, as to why they attend these events in the first place. That certainly holds true in our case and why new products will continue to be spotlighted at AWFS®Fair for the foreseeable future.
However, this year exhibitors have a unique opportunity to showcase their new products, as the pandemic and its resulting lockdowns and cancellation of live events has meant that nearly every industry was unable to showcase their latest offerings on a large-scale, face-to-face format, since the end of 2020’s first quarter, thus creating both pent-up curiosity and demand from potential buyers. That is why we strongly encourage exhibitors to enter their new products in the Visionary Awards and Showcase. It is a cost-efficient way to alert potential buyers to a new product or service that you will be introducing to the marketplace. If you choose not to enter the Awards, there are numerous ways that you can inform your customers about your latest offerings, by taking advantage of the numerous tools that AWFS®Fair management has provided for you in the Fair Marketing manual.