In response to Florida Department of Health (DOH)’s new COVID-19 pandemic regulations, the nation’s largest hotel owners association AAHOA’s 2020 Convention & Trade Show will be held virtual but not in-person.
This cancellation and format change in this major hospitality conference is caused because of the outbreak and significant spike in unprecedented COVID-19 infections and countless hospitalizations. So, the recreational gatherings are now limited to fewer than 50 people, recommended by DOH.
Parts of the convention are all set to move to the virtual space as AAHOA will present industry keynotes & panels, AAHOA leadership speeches, and online secure elections for AAHOA’s Board of Directors & Secretary. The registration and virtual event’s details will be made available on the official AAHOA.com website in the upcoming days.
The AAHOA President & CEO Cecil P. Staton said that, they have remained optimistic that this year’s AAHOA Convention and Trade Show could executed as planned in the month of August. With an expectance of around 400 vendors and thousands of attendees ready to attend, with an exceptional support from hospitality industry – It seemed to be a great opportunity and a bright spot after a challenging season. But, unfortunately they were plunge to cancel their in-person convention & trade show as the new COVID-19 cases spike is seen in Florida, for which public health officials have recommended more stringent safety measures to mitigate the virus transmission, limiting the size of public gatherings.
Furthermore, the AAHOA Chairman and 2020 Convention Chair ‘Biran Patel’ said that, for over 3 decades AAHOA has been providing great platform for hoteliers to access best networking opportunities, education and deals. While he said that, they will miss seeing their industry members, vendor partners, but the decision they made is the safest and most responsible.
He added that, they are confident that AAHOA will however deliver much value and excitement by conducting the virtual convention through online channels. And, hoping to see celebrate the AAHOA Convention and Trade Show face-to-face in Dallas, coming 2021 spring.
