Posted 11/1/2012 - 1:28:50 PM
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NEW YORK—Despite Hurricane Sandy hitting the New York City area less than two weeks prior to the scheduled start of the IHMRS at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center here, George Little Management maintains the show will be “open for business.”
According to Phil Robinson, a consultant for George Little Management, the company has been “in conversations with the three owners of the show and they’ve all shown a keen resolve to see the show move forward.”
The IHMRS, which will take place from Nov. 11 to Nov. 13, is sponsored by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the Hotel Association of New York City and the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association.
George Little Management addressed the status of the event on the heels of a statement from warehouse company Freeman, which houses materials for a number of exhibitors. Freeman noted, “Due to the devastating impact by Hurricane Sandy, the Freeman warehouse located in Kearny, NJ, is inaccessible.”
The statement added, “Due to a total loss of power and minimal transportation available, there is a strong possibility that you will not have access to your materials for the event.”
The condition of the warehouse freight is not known at this time, according to the company.
Robinson, however, noted a small percentage of exhibitors—roughly 10%—use the facility and some of the materials were shipped previously to a facility in Maspeth, Queens, in anticipation of the storm.
He also noted that while Javits Center incurred some small damage on the first floor as a result of tidal flooding, all exhibit areas remain unaffected. He added that the ING New York City Marathon Health & Fitness Expo is running currently in the facility.
In addition, George Little Management has put a communications plan in place to prospective and registered attendees alerting them that the show will proceed as scheduled. This will commence on Friday, November 2 and will include an “open for business” e-blast, voicemail message and social media posts.
Robinson acknowledged that transportation was a key consideration in the decision to move the show forward and since all three New York City airports are open and buses have resumed a normal schedule, the company is confident that transportation will not be a major issue.
