MARCH 13-15, 2022 / BOSTON, USA BOSTON CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTER
Dear Seafood Community, There has been speculation in certain trade media lately as to whether or not Seafood Expo North America will take place, who will be there and whether or not you should go. Some of the stories have even been factually inaccurate. We would like to take this opportunity to set the record straight, so that you, our customers can continue to grow your businesses through the valuable face to face opportunities you have come to expect in Boston: Seafood Expo North America will take place as scheduled, March 13-15, 2022. After backing out confirmed cancellations, the event is currently over 200,000sf of sold exhibit space. To put this into context, this represents 80% of the event’s largest edition held. Of the cancelled space, a majority comes from companies in countries facing long quarantine restrictions, like China. These are the facts, and we want to make sure you have them. This event is YOUR industry event. It is the place for the seafood industry focused on the North American market to meet under one roof for 3 days, network, strengthen relationships, plan and innovate for the future—all of which help you strengthen and grow YOUR business. The vast majority of companies are still exhibiting and we continue to receive new inquiries and contracts to exhibit. The exhibitor lists on our website are not complete, and as country pavilions continue to complete their co-exhibiting company listings, this list will increase even more. An impressive listing of seafood and processing companies will be there: https://www.seafoodexpo.com/north-america/exhibitor-lists/. An equally impressive list of buyers are pre-registered to attend, including but not limited to Ahold Delhaize, Albertsons, Amazon Fresh, Avendra, Bloomin’ Brands, Costco, Captain D’s, Darden, Foodbuy, McDonald’s, PFG, Publix, Red Lobster, Stop & Shop, Sysco, Target, Wegmans, Whole Foods and many more as the list continues to grow. Currently, exhibitors are coming from more than 50 countries including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Ecuador, Faroe Islands, Greece, Iceland, Indonesia, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Scotland, Spain, Turkey, USA and Vietnam, just to name a few. Many seafood industry professionals are clearly planning to be there. But, as the question has been posed, is it safe? To that question, we answer, tradeshows are a controlled environment—more controlled than your average grocery store or even your child’s indoor sporting event. There are protocols in place, in accordance with local public health mandates and CDC recommendations to allow you to have a more controlled environment in which to do business. For instance, anyone entering the US from any other country must be fully vaccinated AND have a negative test the day before travel. Currently everyone entering the event will need to be vaccinated and wear a mask, per the city of Boston’s B-together plan. Indoor places in Boston like the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, restaurants and bars, have these requirements in place to provide a safe and healthy environment for people to conduct business. Additionally, testing services will be available onsite for anyone who needs it to travel home, enhanced cleaning protocols are in place, and the BCEC HVAC system can move millions of cubic feet of air, exchanging the air up to six times per hour. Anyone who receives an exemption to the vaccination requirements for medical, religious or civil rights related reasons, would need to provide proof of negative COVID test through a professional testing provider or test negative at the testing facility at the event, prior to entering the venue. We recommend you check regularly our Health & Safety Guidelines on our website as we post new information. Now that you have the facts, we look forward to welcoming you to Boston to show your company’s products, check out new trends, network with your peers, source new suppliers on the dynamic exhibit floor, participate in our robust conference program of more than 125 speakers in 29 sessions and leave with more energy and excitement for your industry than you’ve had in over two years. Join us on March 13-15, 2022 in Boston—we can’t wait to see you face to face. Best, Liz Plizga, Wynter Courmont, and the Seafood Expo North America team
Liz Plizga Wynter Courmont ---------- -----------
Group Vice President Event Director Diversified Communications Diversified Communications
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