Showfloor Buzz – August 17, 2020

EACA News

Double Decks Won’t Require Special Permit in Las Vegas.  The LVCVA recently reported that they’ve recently received clarification from Clark County.   The list of requirements the county cited for temporary structures is as follows:

  • Permits will not be required for temporary structures constructed within an existing building.
  • Permits will not be required for single story temporary structures with an area of 2,500 square feet or less that are constructed outdoors.
  • A fire permit will be required for a temporary structure greater than 2,500 square feet and less than 7,501 square feet, that is constructed outdoors. Drawings prepared by a registered design professional and with 3rd party inspections will be required for the permit.
  • A building permit will be required for temporary structure constructed outdoors that meets any of the following:
    o  Single-story structures greater than 7,500 square feet
    o  Multi-level with occupancy on an elevated level or has an occupied level 45 feet or more above finish grade.
    o  Has an occupancy of more than 1,000 persons.
    o  Is connected to and receives structural support from an existing building.

Review of Mainstreet Lending Program.  While EACA continues to monitor negotiations in Washington DC regarding the PPP portion of the CARES Act, we have also received a review of the discussions around hte Mainstreet Lending Program.

The news isn’t promising.

  • So far, 54 Mainstreet Lending loans have been issued for $581 million.
  • Applications for another $530 million in loans are in the pipeline.
  • 509 banks have signed on to be lenders, but only 29 have made loans.
  • Dr. Rosengran of the Fed said that they are seeing an uptick in interest.
  • Rosengran said that “This program is designed as a cash flow program.  It’s designed for a business that expects to be able to pay off the debt.”
  • Banks appear to be reluctant to make Mainstreet loans:
  • One company approached 15 different lenders for a Mainstreet loan, and none were interested.
  • One business association said that 81% of their members who sought a Mainstreet loan were unable to get one.
  • A restaurant group in Florida could not get a Mainstreet loan through their bank.  The banker said, “I can’t take any more restaurant exposure in my portfolio.”
  • The Unite Here labor union for hospitality workers criticized the program for not requiring borrowers to spend funds on payroll or avoid layoffs.

2020 Randy Scheduled for September 28.   The RSMGC Board of Directors have issued a “Save the Date” notice for the 2020 RSMGC, a/k/a The Randy.    This year’s event will be held at Berkeley Hills Country Club on Monday, September 28.   Registration is now open for this year’s event.   See the Randy website for complete details.

EACA Webcast Program. The EACA is webcasting weekly panel discussions continue with industry leaders on the Impact of COVID-19 on the Events Industry.   Our next program takes place on Friday August 21 at 2pm ET, 1pm CT and 11am PT.  This wee’s topic will be a review of the activiities and accomplishments of GoLiveTogether.  All programs are live-streamed on the EACA Facebook page for those who want to attend live.  All programs are also recorded and posted to the EACA web site.  For more information on upcoming programs see the EACA Events Calendar.

Titles of some past programs are:

  • Maintaining Employee Morale
  • Organizer’s Plans for the Future
  • PPP Clarifications
  • Generating PR for the Events Industry
  • Impact of COVID-19 on Pension Liability
  • And, more

EACA Member News

Bill Medve Passes Away  The EACA is saddened to learn about the tragic passing of Bill Medve, CFO, MC2 this past weekend in a home accident.

Bill is survived by his beloved wife Susan and their two children, Will and Suzie.  The MC2 family is indebted to Bill for his dedication and commitment to our organization.  His many contributions, ready smile and warm personality will be greatly missed.  Please remember Bill and his family in your prayers.

EACA Member Request

This pandemic has created the greatest challenge to our industry and your company in anyone’s experience or memory.    If there is a silver lining it is that this is the first time in our memory when every single industry stakeholder is on the same side, and we are all doing whatever can be done for the safe and responsible re-opening of exhibitions and events.  To that end, the EACA would like to ask for your support to ensure that the interests of all our members are well represented and are included in the strategic direction of lobbying and PR efforts that are being made.    

There are 2 major initiatives underway that we believe will generate the most impact on the health and elected officials that hold the keys to when our industry can re-open.   Both are in need of funding and require our support to participate in the strategic decision making process that guides their lobbying and PR efforts.

  1. Go Live Together Task Force – The GLT has been active in pulling together an industry Task Force which includes every major trade show industry association.  Their plan includes the hiring of a Washington DC lobby firm to seek additional relief and stimulus for all companies and trade show professionals who are suffering under the impact of COVID-19.  They also plan to utilize funds for a PR campaign in targeted trade show cities.   Their goal is to raise $500k for this purpose.   Minimum donations required to participate on the Steering Committee is $25k.  At present they have already received the following contributions:
  2.  T3 Expo Lobbying Efforts- Independent of GLT, T3 Expo, a general service contractor headquartered in New England, has undertaken their own lobbying efforts that are specifically targeted toward generating additional relief for trade show contractors and service companies as part of the Payroll Protection Program.   Their Chief Development Officer, Tim Heffernan, is a former Washington DC lobbyist and has essentially been in the room with the congressional committees that created the CARES Act and PPP.  In fact, he participated in some of the writing of that legislation and has his fingers on the pulse of what is happening next.      While T3 Expo hasn’t made any specific requests for funding we know they are going it alone and could use the help.

Please know that your donation is totally voluntary and if you are not able to donate at this time we completely understand.    But if you are able to help us get the representation that all our members need we will be very grateful.

I have attached a payment form that you can use to make the donation and to specify where you want the funds to go.

Thanks to those members who have already supported this effort:

– AD-EX Int’l
– Catalyst Exhibits
– Coastal Int’l
– Corporate Events New England
– Crew XP
– Eagle Management
– Elite Tradeshow Services
– Exhibit Experience
– Laborinc.ca
– Nth Degree
– Renaissance Management
– Sho-Link
– Spectrum Show Services
– Up & Down, Inc.
– Willwork

Industry News

Impact of COVID-19 on Exhibit & Event Industry  A well done video has been posted to YouTube to describe and explain the devastating impact that the pandemic has had on our industry.

Please be sure to share with your federal representatives.

 

World Market Centers in Vegas, Atlanta, and Dallas have Re-Opened.  Using the same principles applied to shopping malls market centers in these cities have re-opened and hosted shows.

See the Video from Dallas.

UFI Barometer Indicates COVID Impacts 95% of the Events Industry <TSNN>  UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, released the latest edition of its Global Barometer research that took the pulse of more than 450 exhibition organizers globally.

The report highlights the severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the exhibition industry worldwide.

“On the back of an exceptional year in 2019, we are now seeing an unprecedented drop in revenues around the world,” said Kai Hattendorf, UFI Managing Director and CEO.

He added, “While the industry remains confident that it will bounce back, everyone is aware that this crisis will lead to major changes in the way exhibitions are produced, especially with a push towards more digital elements before, during and between events.”

Globally, 85 percent of companies declared their overall level of activity was “normal” in January. This quickly dropped to 15 percent in March, to reach between 5 percent and 6 percent in April, May and June.

For both April and May, 73 percent of companies worldwide declared “no activity”. With a majority of companies expecting “local” and “national” exhibitions to open again during the second half of 2020, the level of activity is expected to slowly increase.