“Meetings and tourism is what we thrive on,” Heidi Baez, Destination Event Sr. Manager at Visit Orlando, told motorcoach operators at today’s Town Hall. She said Orlando’s ready to host UMA Motorcoach EXPO, April 21-25.
“When you come to EXPO, as you go into the parks and into the restaurants, and you visit us as a city, you’ll feel that we’re hosting healthy meetings here,” she told participants. “All the hotels have their own standards which are very rigorous. We are ready to host your meeting, so that you feel you are having a healthy meeting in Orlando.” Both the city’s airport and convention center are GBAC-Star approved by the Global Biorisk Advisory Council, due to their high standards for cleaning and hygiene.
Baez shared examples of the many ways the city of Orlando is meeting the challenge of holding group gatherings that meet all local, state and federal guidelines. From UV light cleaning technology and ozone spraying units, to high touchpoint cleaning throughout the day, and industrial grade scrubbing of rooms between events, the Orange County Convention Center has technologies and protocols in place to help UMA Members attend EXPO with confidence. She said participants will find hand wash stations, signage about masks and distancing, and hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the convention center. Even the local hotels at which UMA’s guests will be staying are on-board, with carefully executed rules and practices in place.
EXPO Committee Chair Scott Riccio was on the call and reiterated that attendees can count on UMA to have rules and procedures in place to help everyone attend with confidence. “Everyone has to follow the guidelines,” Scott said. “We have to protect each other.”
He explained how impressed he is with the convention center’s protocols for cleaning. “One of the conference halls is 90,000 square feet . . . Imagine, as we exit that room, the cleaning crew is right behind us cleaning the hall,” Scott told everyone at Town Hall.
“No contact is going to be tough for our industry, Scott,” Larry Killingsworth said, pointing out that our industry likes to hug. Scott replied that “we are going to be having to do a bunch of elbow bumps and follow the rules, so that we can have a healthy EXPO.”
About UMA Motorcoach EXPO
The UMA Motorcoach EXPO is the premier networking, education, and buying opportunity for private motorcoach operators. The 2021 EXPO, that will be held in Orlando, April 21-25, is a global showcase of the latest equipment, products, and services for private motorcoach operators. EXPO provides operators with unique education, purchasing, and networking opportunities.
