Hi, it’s Scott of SMT expo.  As you are all well aware, live events, from conferences to tradeshows, are scarcely taking place for temporarily well warranted reasons. Our industry is based exclusively on large in-person gatherings and we have not yet found a dependable and practical solution to such occurrences during a pandemic. Hopefully, when we make it out of the other end of this enduring pandemic tunnel, we will be forced to adapt to a new set of safety requirements and challenges, and incorporate measures that were unthinkable in years prior.   These new procedures and practices will be welcomed with open arms and should prove to be a demonstration of our resilience. Stay positive.

SMT expo, as a booth system provider to the live events industry, has grappled with this challenge and has hence, over the last six months, reevaluated our products to examine everything through a lens of safety and innovation. How can we make booth systems more resistant to viral transmissions that can provide a solution to the challenges of social distancing and airborne transmission? Can booth systems act as an added layer of show floor protection, in addition to current forms of PPE? Before Covid-19 our booth system was just walls and columns, but now, as the result of rigorous testing with an independent world-renowned Swiss testing laboratory, it has been proven that our Expoknit®️ fabric affords every exhibitor, attendee and show staff member, a medical-grade safer space on a tradeshow floor. We are proud to begin rolling out our safest booth equipment as a new additional form of Live Event PPE.

We should all meet this challenge head on with a mindset that addresses the safety concerns of our show staff, attendees, and most importantly, our exhibitors. Lest we forget that without exhibitors, there are no exhibitions. After 100+ years the paradigm has shifted. The focus needs to be back on the exhibitors first enabling us to have the confidence necessary to invite the safe arrival and engagement with attendees.

There will be opportunities to focus on beating competitors in an RFP process, but now is not that time. Now is the time to collaborate cooperatively with our supplier partners, our customers, as well as our competitors to achieve these new goals. Now is the time to give the exhibitor a say in how we reopen this industry. How can we inspire them to return to the show floor? How can we make them feel safe enough to return to a crowded indoor convention center and stand in a booth for days on end as they interact with people from all over the country and globe? We must listen to the science based facts presented to us about properly adhering to use of PPE, social distancing, and contactless registration, to name a few. Let’s remember, that absent a robust contingent of exhibitors, there would be no trade show.

Consider this our invitation to you and your organization to join us in this new and promising journey that will take us from despair to rejoicing in our collective success. We are eager to work side-by-side with you and encourage your questions and conversations.

Wishing everyone a warm and safe New Year!

If you would like to learn more about the protections that our fabric booth system, as well as other industry standard systems, can provide your next event, then contact us for information about the live webinar and Q&A session that we will be hosting on January 27th 2021.

Scott Lebwohl

Founder & Executive Vice President

SMT expo, a division of Glenmore Industries

www.SMTexpo.com

Scott@SMTexpo.com