The HD Expo + Conference, scheduled for May 5-7 at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas has been canceled, according to a statement on the event website. The statement attributed the cancelation to travel restrictions and public health concerns surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
The full statement is below.
The health and safety of our community and our team is of the utmost importance to us. After closely monitoring the risk and impact of COVID-19 on a daily basis, and speaking at length with members of our community, HD Expo + Conference, which had been scheduled for May 5-7, 2020, at Mandalay Bay Las Vegas, has been officially cancelled.
This is due to recent developments regarding COVID-19 that include, but are not limited to, the declaration of a National State of Emergency by President Trump, the Nevada State of Emergency announced by Governor Steve Sisolak, the latest measures, including travel restrictions placed on foreign nationals traveling to the United States from certain EU member states and other places, the declaration by the WHO of COVID-19 as a pandemic, and the accelerating pace of confirmed cases worldwide and domestically. In addition, the current quarantines, containment areas and the restrictions on congregating and large gatherings imposed by states and other government and public health authorities, various company-imposed travel restrictions on employees affecting attendees and participating companies, and the resulting cancellations made by several key HD Expo + Conference customers and partners.
These developments have made it impossible to effectively execute a May event that delivers the level of education, connection, and customer value our community expects. Driven by our responsibility to ensure the best interests of our hospitality design community, we have made the difficult decision to cancel HD Expo + Conference for 2020. We hope you will join us for the next HD Expo + Conference, scheduled for May 4-6, 2021, where we will pull our great community together again and finally unveil the reimagined show we have been working on for the past year.
The hospitality industry faces serious impact from uncertainty, closures, travel bans, and disruption—and we aim to help mitigate that impact. While we have been compelled to cancel our event this year, our goal is to get our industry booming again. HD Expo + Conference has always been the place we gather each year to connect, learn, and above all else, bring our community together. Even though we won’t have the opportunity to see each other face to face this May, we hope to bring the industry together at other HD events scheduled later this year and are currently investigating virtual and digital options as well. We believe in this industry and know we will come away from this stronger and more united. In good times and challenging times, our industry is based on community, a fact we celebrate every day.
We appreciate your ongoing loyalty to HD Expo + Conference and thank you in advance for your understanding. The HD Expo + Conference team is working diligently to provide answers to all of your inquiries. Please click here for a list of FAQs. If we haven’t provided what you need to know, we are here to help, and we will be updating as more information comes available.
Our thoughts are with all of you during this time. The safety and wellbeing of our attendees, exhibitors, and HD team will always come first.
Stacy Shoemaker Rauen
Editor in chief, Hospitality Design magazine
Senior Vice President, Emerald
Kevin Gaffney
Group Show Director, HD Expo + Conference
Vice President, Emerald
