The Inspired Home Show in Chicago (March 5-7, McCormick Place) has made several exciting announcements, which will encourage visitors to finalise their travel arrangement and get set to ‘cross the pond.’ These include reassuring data that confirms a safe environment for the show’s participants.
“After two years without a major home + housewares industry trade show, both retailers and suppliers are craving in-person product discovery and interaction,” says Derek Miller, IHA president and ceo. “To ensure success and meet the expectations of our attendees, IHA has worked with Epistemix, a firm of epidemiologists and computational modeling experts to help us develop policies and protocols to protect our guests and staff.”
The risk of COVID transmission will be at a rate of less than 0.1% of total attendance during The Inspired Home Show, according to updated data released by Epistemix. This projection places The Inspired Home Show below the USA’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC) threshold for safe travel and gathering.
Dr Lindsey Reiser, managing director of professional services at Epistemix explains: “The robust programme of safety measures that Chicago requires, along with what McCormick Place and IHA will have in place means a reduction in transmissibility by 4X compared to other typical activities in Chicago public spaces.” Epistemix data has proven to be 95% accurate when forecasting for past events.
The Inspired Home Show’s masking, testing and vaccination protocols provide a low risk of transmissibility among attendees of the event. Meanwhile McCormick Place is using hospital-grade sanitation and increased airflow filtration and circulation.
Covid-related statistics in Chicago continue to improve, and this trend is expected to continue through February and into March. On January 19, Chicago Department of Public Health commissioner Dr Allison Arwady noted that the average number of cases per day had dropped by more than 50% since early January, stating: “We have formally passed the Omicron peak here in the city of Chicago.”
* Lifestyle icon Martha Stewart will headline the line-up of celebrity chefs appearing in the Cooking Theatre during The Inspired Home Show. The varied line-up also includes YouTuber, Andrew Rea (of Binging with Babish), who enjoys an international following.
* For The Inspired Home Show’s keynote speaker schedule go to www.theinspiredhomeshow.com/education/#keynotes
* To register for the show, go to www.theinspiredhomeshow.com
Top: Martha Stewart is headlining the Cooking Theatre at The Inspired Home Show.
