It’s still more than a month away, but the organizer of the Seafood Expo North America is gauging the potential impact of the novel coronavirus and current travel bans on the sprawling, international seafood trade show at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.
Diversified Communications, the show’s organizer, said it continues to monitor the expanding public health crisis, both domestically and internationally, in the ramp-up to the seafood show that last year drew 22,150 visitors and 1,329 exhibitors from 49 countries.
The show, which also contains a processing element, is set to run March 15 to 17.
To date, the eruption of the coronavirus in China and other parts of Asia “has not impacted attendee and exhibitor registration” for the show, Diversified Communications said in a Jan. 31 statement.
“The health and safety of our attendees and exhibitors is our primary concern,” the Portland, Maine-based multimedia company said in the statement. “We look forward to a successful event.”
In a subsequent statement Tuesday to the Gloucester Daily Times, Diversified Communications said 80% of the visitors and exhibitors to the annual Boston seafood trade show come from the United States, Canada and Mexico. It said 5% percent come from China.
“As we monitor the impacts of the current travel ban in place, it has potential to affect those coming from China who represent 5% of the combined visitor and exhibitor attendee base annually,” according to the statement. “The situation is fluid and we’ll continue to monitor the impacts. The event is tracking well when comparing pre-registration and exhibitor numbers to previous years.”
Diversified Communications said it is adhering to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is working with the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) and other local health agencies “on recommended protocols to protect our customers and attendees while at the Expo.”
2020 Gloucester Daily Times