Informa cancels SupplySide West as Nevada coronavirus cases climb

The company began sending cancellation notices to prospective attendees on Tuesday morning and later in the day the event’s website was updated with the cancellation announcement and a press release.

Safety concerns doomed show

“We have been in close communication with our partners, customers and audience to ensure we meet their needs and expectations,” ​said show director Marisa Finnegan in the press release. “Even with guidance from Informa’s AllSecure health & safety guidelines, and the re-opening of Mandalay Bay in recent weeks, our community responded to personal outreach and an industry survey by making it clear that while they value the show, many would not be able to come due to safety concerns or travel restrictions.” ​

Informa had held onto a plan for an in person event longer than had many organizations in the dietary supplement and natural products industries.  But in the end, the grave news coming out of Nevada in recent weeks forced the company to follow suit.

Worsening disease situation in Nevada

According to tracking data complied by Johns Hopkins University, after the reopening of the casinos in Las Vegas in early June, the number of new daily cases trended up from 113 to 150 day to more than 1,300 on July 17​​.  New case numbers have fallen slightly since then, but the state is still recording almost 1,000 new cases a day.

In early July a major Las Vegas hospital reimposed a ban on elective surgeries ​​in the face of the number of new coronavirus cases it was taking in.  Most hospitals had started conducting such surgeries again in mid May after the pandemic peak seemed to have passed.  At least one other hospital in the metro area has begun cancelling some elective surgeries. And a report by the news website Nevada Current​ said hospital officials were planning their staffing around expected large numbers of coronavirus cases​​ well into the fall.

According to the Las Vegas Sun​ newspaper, in the face of the rapidly worsening disease situation, the state government has scrapped a plan for a wider ranging, more rapid ‘phased’ reopening of the state’s businesses.  Gov. Steve Sisolak announced the about turn yesterday​​, but offered few details about the new direction.

Company to offer digital platform as partial substitute

According to an email sent to prospective event attendees, Informa will offer attendees and exhibitors who have already paid in some way to attend the trade show the option to participate in a digital offering it is calling SupplySide Network 365. Details about this offering, including its cost, were still being worked out, according to the company.

In addition to choosing to devote some of their balance toward SS Network 365 entry, individuals can also decide to devote their balance toward a booth at the 2021 version of the show, purchase of a lead generation program or they can obtain a refund.

“We are grateful for the longtime partnerships and relationships we have with tens of thousands of people and thousands of companies in this great industry,”​ said Jon Benninger, vice president and market leader for SupplySide.