WISPA to Hold In-Person Conference in Vegas Despite COVID-19 Threat
The Wireless ISP Association plans a rare large telecom in-person meeting, Oct. 20-22 in Las Vegas. It also will be streamed. WISPA is limiting attendance to 250 and following government protocols -- masking, deep cleaning and barring attendance from some countries based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisories. Experts worry about such gatherings during the pandemic.
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Practically all scheduled conferences from most industries are virtual only, including events set for 2021. COVID-19 forced cancellation of CES 2021 (see 2007280034) and the 2020 NAB Show (see 2003110036), plus the postponement of the 2021 NAB Show to October from April (see 2009090046). WISPA scuttled a spring conference. Members wanted to proceed with a scaled-down fall conference, which will be a tenth the size of the normal event, officials said. Panels will include some related to COVID-19, noted a WISPA spokesperson.
Some experts say the best advice would be for WISPA to be solely online. In-person meetings are “ill-advised,” said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. Transmission “will only continue to increase nationwide over the course of this month,” he predicted.
“Indoor venues continue to be unsafe for gathering large numbers of people,” said Jill Roberts, an epidemiologist with the University of South Florida College of Public Health: “Extended exposure to others is a known route of spread of disease.” Any activity that causes heavy breathing, including walking large hallways or yelling across distances, “is known to result in airborne spread,” she said. Travel to and from the conference, “especially via airplanes, is not advisable,” she said: “The technology exists to do these type of events online; in fact, many conferences have seen increases in attendance.”
“If meeting planners are adhering to the CDC guidelines regarding social distancing and face coverings, the meetings should be able to move forward,” said Jan Jones, professor of hospitality and tourism at the University of New Haven. “We have seen that proper ventilation, increased sanitation, face covering and social distancing is effective,” she noted. “My concern would be with the informal gatherings that attendees might be organizing on their own. It can be these types of informal gatherings, where people might not strictly adhere to health standards, that can have most risk.”
“Even in light of restrictions … a significant number of our members wanted to go forward with a modified event,” said WISPA's spokesperson. The annual fall meeting “remains an important part of the WISP community’s need to network, learn and get together with old friends,” he said. “We’re going to have a great event that puts the safety of our members, staff and those we hire out there as our paramount concern,” the representative said: “We have all the tools, best practices and government guidance to ensure it goes off safe and sound.”
The event was scaled back in response to Nevada and Clark County safety requirements, “which, due to COVID-19 precautions, allow events no larger than 250 people,” the spokesperson said. The event features panels on topics including building an effective wireless/fiber hybrid strategy, helping schools and communities get service fast, addressing the impact of COVID-19 on your business and customers, and scaling and training the work force for growth, the official said.