{"id":696,"date":"2020-03-12T08:52:06","date_gmt":"2020-03-12T08:52:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hiremaster.com\/trucking-news\/?p=696"},"modified":"2020-03-13T14:24:37","modified_gmt":"2020-03-13T14:24:37","slug":"mats-on-as-scheduled-monitoring-virus-threat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hiremaster.com\/trucking-news\/other-news\/2020\/03\/12\/mats-on-as-scheduled-monitoring-virus-threat\/696\/","title":{"rendered":"MATS Canceled Over Virus Threat"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

UPDATED 3\/13\/20<\/em>

Show officials have announced “with a heavy heart and deep regret” that they have canceled this year’s Mid-America Trucking Show due to the ongoing threat of COVID-19 coronavirus. They vowed to return for next year’s 50th anniversary event March 25-27, 2021, “stronger than ever.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Al Muskewitz
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You can\u2019t pick up a newspaper or listen to a newscast these days without the first or second story being something about COVID-19\/Coronavirus. The outbreak is impacting almost every aspect of everyday life around the world.
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The stock market is a rollercoaster, sporting events are either being canceled or played without fans in the stands, schools and businesses are closing temporarily, travel is being restricted or banned altogether. The outbreak is so widespread and virulent events scheduled months in advance are in jeopardy of being canceled.
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Organizers of this month\u2019s Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky., are actively monitoring the situation.

Show manager Toby Young told Wright Media Thursday (March 5) the show will go on. In staying the course, the largest trucking industry show in the country joins the Masters and the Olympics among major international events committed to going on as planned.
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UPDATE: On Wednesday (March 11), MATS organizers released a statement saying more than 850 exhibitors \u201cremain committed\u201d to participate in the show.\u00a0\u00a0It said registrations are \u201cstill coming in at a strong pace\u201d with more than 50,000 attendees pre-registered.
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\u201cWith proper precautions and protections in place, we feel that we can all have a safe and successful show,\u201d MATS said. \u201cWith this said, if you are in the elevated risk groups as defined by the CDC, out of an abundance of caution, we encourage you to stay home.\u201d
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The show is March 26-28 at the Kentucky Exposition Center. HireMaster\/Wright Media will be among the exhibitors, located in Booth 65004 in the West Wing.

\u201cThe show is going on, we\u2019re not changing that,\u201d said Young, president of Exhibit Management Associates. \u201cThe plan is definitely set. We already have freight arriving, we already have areas of the show being marked if we have access. We\u2019re proceeding with full intentions of having the show. The show takes so much production the wheels are already turning, so we\u2019re moving forward as scheduled.\u201d
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Of course, show managers urge caution and common sense as it relates to travel and attendance. They offer continual updates on the status of the show and the steps they are taking to mitigate the risk under the \u201cAbout MATS\u201d tab on its website (www.truckingshow.com)<\/a>.
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MATS has drawn more than 70,000 attendees for more than 15 years. Last year it drew 72,548 and more than 1,000 exhibitors from 45 states and 11 countries. Young is hopeful the show will maintain those numbers this year and pre-registration before the media attention over the virus was tracking ahead of last year. Still, he acknowledged, it\u2019s \u201crealistic to think\u201d the attendance will be down some.
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He also anticipates a drop in the number of exhibitors from China and Japan that do not have a U.S. partner to exhibit in their place, but that number is negligible in the overall scope of the show.
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\u201cWith China and some other countries being kind the focal point of where all this originated, a lot of those companies have basically bowed out of the show due to travel constraints, the travel ban in some cases, and just timing and everything else, and it\u2019s the right thing to do,\u201d Young said.
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Organizers encourage the attendees and exhibitors to exercise similar diligence and make responsible decisions regarding their participation at the show. The Kentucky Exposition Center will have first aid providers on-site during setup and show hours to provide medical assistance for those who present flu-like symptoms during the event.
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\u201cIf you\u2019re not feeling well, if you\u2019re sick or having health issues, stay home,\u201d Young said. \u201cThe show is important to the industry but it\u2019s not so important that you need to come and get someone else sick or put yourself in further harm\u2019s way.\u201d
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Coronavirus has been confirmed in 84 countries around the world, on every continent except Antarctica. In the United States, there have been 163 confirmed cases in 18 states and 11 deaths. There have been no cases reported so far in Kentucky, but five in neighboring states Tennessee (one) and Illinois.

The trucking industry has a nationwide reach, providing ample opportunities to interact with a wide range and well-traveled sample of people. Considering all the networking that takes place at the show, it’s likely there won’t be a lot of handshaking going on after introductions or deals are completed.

“We’re definitely aware of what’s going on and we’re definitely going to have to take precautions,” said Jason Troup, Wright Media’s senior vice president of sales. “I feel comfortable about going, you’ve just got to be cautious. There will be a lot of people doing the foot bump.”

Next year\u2019s MATS is the milestone 50th<\/sup> show. Normally, Young would be well underway with those plans, but admitted with so much surrounding this year\u2019s show he hasn\u2019t had a lot of time for that. Still, he predicts a positive response.
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\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a great show,\u201d he said. \u201cHopefully we have everything that\u2019s going on in the world behind us and everybody comes out \u2013 our longtime exhibitors, longtime attendees \u2013 to the show and they get our best effort.\u201d
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Al Muskewitz is Editor for Wright Media. He can be reached at\u00a0<\/em>musky@wrightmediacorp.com<\/em><\/a>

Photo credit: MATS<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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