How Anaheim, Georgia Expo and Sahara Las Vegas Are Lending Helping Hands

May 7, 2020

In many ways, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought out the best in humanity, including those in the events industry. Over the past several weeks, more and more destinations, event companies and venues have been jumping in to support the fight against the virus. Here are some examples of compassion in action to brighten your week: 

Visit Anaheim and Partners Supporting Community

From donating supplies and food to sharing messages of hope and encouragement, stakeholders within the city of Anaheim, California, have teamed up to serve as valuable resources during this time.

Anaheim Convention Center continues to serve as a logics and storage center for donated supplies, while the city’s Emergency Operations Center arranges distribution to vulnerable residents. Several area hotels have donated toilet paper, hand sanitizer, gloves and other essential supplies to the EOC, with Anaheim Resort Transportation helping to transport these much-needed items to the convention facility until they can be distributed.  

Visit Anaheim

“[Through] Anaheim Convention Center’s [actions], we are helping needy seniors, families and the homeless through this difficult time,” said Mike Lyster, spokesperson for the city of Anaheim. “Our convention center has risen to the challenge of coronavirus not just by postponing events, but by serving as our logistical hub for donations and community support initiatives.”

Visit Anaheim recently teamed up with Anaheim Chamber of Commerce and ART to deliver a bus filled with surgical masks to first responders at Anaheim Fire & Rescue. Anaheim Mayor Harry Sidhu was on-site to accept the 1,500-mask donation to help emergency crews safely service local residents in need. 

In late March, Honda Center and Second Harvest Foodbank of Orange County launched a weekly Saturday drive-through food bank for vulnerable local families. In one day alone, the operation was able to provide 4,000 bags of food. Soon after, Honda Center, the Anaheim Ducks NHL team and the Los Angeles Angels MLB team collectively donated additional supplies to the effort, including pallets of non-perishable food and thousands of rolls of toilet paper.

The team at Visit Anaheim also lent a hand at a local food bank, with more than a dozen part-time staff helping out on the first two Saturdays of April. 

To learn more about Visit Anaheim and partners’ Response and Recovery COVID-19 task force, go here.

Georgia Expo Team Sewing 80,000+ Masks Per Week

To help keep their businesses afloat while aiding in the COVID-19 relief effort, some event suppliers have shifted gears to produce much-needed medical and disaster relief products, and Suwanee, Georgia-based Georgia Expo is no exception. As a manufacturer of pipe, drape and equipment for trade shows and events, the company pivoted in late February to begin creating pipe-and-drape rooms and walls for makeshift hospitals across the U.S. 

According to Amanda Gray, vice president of sales and marketing for Georgia Expo, the company supplied thousands of these items over a 4-6 week period to disaster relief companies and service contractors setting up temporary medical relief stations at the Boston Convention Center, Javits Center and other event and conference venues.

“Once we noticed the need starting to dwindle for those, we looked at our capabilities and decided to use our sewing department to make fabric masks,” Gray said. “We hooked up with a few companies who were looking for surplus sewing; that quickly grew and we found ourselves needing to hire a second shift to keep up with the demand.”

With Georgia and other states starting to reopen businesses and re-start their economies, the demand for face masks from local businesses in particular has skyrocketed, Gray explained. The company is now sewing approximately 80,000 masks per week, with plans to produce more than 100,000 per week, she added. 

As a result of all this new business, the company has been able to retrain 80 percent of its staff from other areas of the company to sew masks, has hired an additional 40 seamstresses and is actively seeking 30 more employees to help with the massive effort.  

“Our goal through this entire shift has been to maintain our staff’s employment and health benefits,” Gray said. “We’re also trying to be good citizens by setting an example as an American manufacturing company that is pushing through and getting these needed products to market quickly.”

To learn more about Georgia Expo’s disaster relief custom sewing efforts, go here. Watch a video of their efforts in-action here.

SAHARA Las Vegas Partners with World Central Kitchen 

In late April, SAHARA Las Vegas teamed up with Nevada Restaurant Association and Chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen to feed more than 2,000 healthcare workers and 400 first responders across the Las Vegas Valley.

SLV WCK

The culinary team from SAHARA Las Vegas, including Executive Chef Alex Pitts from Bazaar Meat by José Andrés, prepared and delivered fresh meals to more than 20 OptumCare Nevada healthcare and UMC Quick Care locations as well as the Henderson Police Department.

According to Sahara Las Vegas officials, the food was carefully produced and distributed following guidelines and protocols established by WCK, which has a team of “food first responders” who mobilize to get meals to those who need them most. 

The nonprofit is activating hundreds of restaurants and kitchens across the country to feed vulnerable communities as well as medical professionals fighting on the front lines of the pandemic.

Founded in 2010 and known throughout the world for helping to feed communities in times of crisis and beyond, the WCK has so far served more than 2 million fresh meals in response to the current health crisis. 

To learn more about SAHARA Las Vegas’ community efforts, go here.

 

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Partner Voices
Less than six months ago, Lisa Messina joined the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) as the first-ever chief sales officer after leading the sales team at Caesars Entertainment. A 12-year Las Vegas resident, Messina is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and serves on MPI International’s board of directors. TSNN had a chance to catch up with this dynamic leader and talk to her about her vision for the new role, current shifts in the trade show industry, creating more diversity and equity within the organization, and advice to future female leaders. Lisa Messina, Chief Sales Officer, LVCVA With Las Vegas becoming The Greatest Arena on EarthTM, what are some of the things you’re most excited about in your role? Our team was at The Big Game’s handoff ceremony earlier this month, and I couldn’t help but think, “We’re going to crush it next year!”  These high-profile events and venues not only drive excitement, but also provide unmatched opportunities for event planners. Allegiant Stadium hosts events from 10 to 65,000 people and offers on-field experiences. Formula 1 Grand Prix will take place in Las Vegas in November, after the year-one F1 race, the four-story paddock building will be available for buyouts and will also offer daily ride-along experiences that will be available for groups. And, of course, the MSG Sphere officially announced that it will open in September, ahead of schedule, with a U2 residency. It’s going to be the most technologically advanced venue as far as lighting, sound, feel, and even scent, and it will be available for buyouts and next-level sponsorships inside and outside. There’s no ceiling to what you can do when you’re doing events in Las Vegas.  Allegiant Stadium As the trade show and convention business returns to the pre-pandemic levels, what shifts are you noticing and how do you think they will impact the industry going forward? Our trade show organizers are very focused on driving customer experience. Most of our organizers are reporting stronger exhibitor numbers and increased numbers of new exhibitors, with trade shows proving to be almost or above 2019 levels. Now our organizers are really doubling down on driving attendance and focusing on the data to provide that individualized, customized experience to help attendees meet their goals and get the best value. Some companies continue to be cautiously optimistic with their organizational spend when it comes to sending attendees, but I think it will continue to improve. As the U.S. Travel Association makes more progress on the U.S. visa situation, we also expect a growing influx of international attendees. What are some innovative ways the LVCVA helps trade show and convention organizers deliver the most value for their events? We focus on customer experience in the same way that trade show organizers are thinking about it. We got rave reviews with the West Hall Expansion of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), so over the next two years, we will be renovating the North and the Central halls, which will include not just the same look and feel, but also the digital experiences that can be leveraged for branding and sponsorship opportunities.  Vegas Loop, the underground transportation system designed by The Boring Company, is also a way we have enhanced the customer experience. Vegas Loop at the LVCC has transported more than 900,000 convention attendees across the campus since its 2021 launch. Last summer, Resorts World and The Boring Company opened the first resort stop at the Resorts World Las Vegas , with plans to expand throughout the resort corridor, including downtown Las Vegas, Allegiant Stadium and Harry Reid International Airport. The LVCVA also purchased the Las Vegas Monorail in 2020, the 3.9-mile-long elevated transportation system that connects eight resorts directly to the convention center campus. This is the only rail system in the world that integrates fares directly into show badges and registration. For trade show organizers, these transportation options mean saving time, money and effort when it comes to moving groups from the hotels to LVCC and around the city. Also, the more we can focus on building the infrastructure around the convention center, the more it supports the customer experience and ultimately supports our trade show organizers. Scheduled to debut in Q4, Fontainebleau Las Vegas will offer 3,700 hotel rooms and 550,000 square feet of meeting and convention space next to LVCC.  What are some of the plans for advancing DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) within your organization? We’re currently partnering with instead of working with a leading consulting firm, to lay the foundation and create a solid DEI plan and be the leader when it comes to DEI initiatives. The heart of that journey with the consulting firm is also talking to our customers about their strategic approaches to DEI and driving innovation in this space.  What are your favorite ways to recharge? My husband and I have an RV and we’re outdoorsy people. So, while we have over 150,000 world-class hotel rooms and renowned restaurants right outside our doorstep, one of my favorite things to do is get out to Red Rock Canyon, the Valley of Fire, and Lake Mead. Five of the top national parks are within a three-hour drive from Las Vegas, so there’s a lot you can do. We love balancing the energy of Las Vegas with nature, and we’re noticing that a lot of attendees add activities off the Strip when they come here.  Valley of Fire What advice would you give to women following leadership paths in destination marketing? I think it’s about being laser-focused on what you want to accomplish; building a team around you that lifts you and helps you achieve your goals; and being humble and realizing that you do it as a group. No one gets this done alone. Thankfully, there are a lot of women in leadership in this organization, in our customers’ organizations, and in this city that we can be really proud of. We’re a formidable force that is making things happen.   This interview has been edited and condensed. This article is exclusively sponsored by the Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority. For more information, visit HERE.