By Nadia Vanderhoof

The Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) announced a new partnership with Xpodigital, a leading provider of digital signage solutions for events and hospitality, to provide comprehensive, customized digital advertising, and signage services to OCCC events.

Since its founding in 2000, Xpodigital has provided an ever-expanding suite of products and services developed with one goal in mind: to help its customers succeed. Whether in the hospitality, technology, events or retail industries, Xpodigital focuses on unifying data and digital display networks into an immersive universe of full-service solutions that meet the specific needs of each customer.

“The OCCC’s fully integrated digital signage network, provided by Xpodigital, will offer clients an easy and effective way to reinforce their brand, while delivering informative messaging to attendees,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester.” Xpodigital’s digital signage solutions will provide high-traffic exposure to clients, exhibitors and sponsors.”

The agreement between OCCC and Xpodigital makes Xpodigital the exclusive provider of advertising, digital content and branding displayed on the permanent digital signage at the OCCC and authorizes Xpodigital to provide temporary digital signage solutions throughout the facility. The base contract runs through September 2022 and there are two additional one-year renewal periods.

“For Xpodigital, the Orange County Convention Center presents a wonderful partnership opportunity with an organization that truly values its clients and wants to provide the best event experience possible,” said Gabe Gilligan, President of Xpodigital. “Their approach aligns perfectly with our full-service customer support model. With our complete suite of digital media services designed to meet each event’s unique requirements at the convention center, we are excited to work with OCCC to deliver the best in digital signage services.”

Working in partnership with the Orange County Convention Center, Xpodigital will provide digital content creation, sales and management for all digital signage within the full campus. Xpodigital will be the exclusive provider of all advertising, digital content and branding displayed on the OCCC’s permanent digital signage.

Xpodigital will also provide events with customized temporary digital signage solutions that will help each event maximize the impact of their specific messaging to their audiences throughout the OCCC. Whether creating a more immersive show floor, registration, overflow, meeting room, or keynote environment, event clients will be able to more effectively engage and communicate with their audiences.

Nadia Vanderhoof is Marketing and Communications Manager for the Orange County Convention Center.

Global design firm Populous, in association with Collins Cooper Carusi, completed Phase II of renovations at Georgia Tech’s recently renamed Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium.

To remain one of college baseball’s premier facilities, Mac Nease Baseball Park completed the $10 million second phase project with upgrades that will continue the legacy of Georgia Tech baseball for years to come by enhancing player development, improving the fan experience, and celebrating the Yellow Jacket’s rich baseball history.

Fans will be welcomed by a new entry plaza that will provide a space to socialize on gamedays, building excitement before the first pitch. A key component of the expansion project is Champions Hall, a two-story multi-purpose gathering space created on the expanded concourse, which celebrates the history of Georgia Tech Baseball, highlighting ACC Championships and trips to Omaha along with student-athlete accomplishments from years past. Champions Hall provide new premium chairback seating and a spacious event room that looks out onto the field during Yellow Jacket games. Champions Hall will also serve as a meeting space for the baseball team and an event space for other organizations and alumni gatherings. The second floor includes the Mark Teixeira Skyline Terrace, a premium seating area that will provide some of the best views in all of Atlanta sports, which features Tech’s campus and the Midtown skyline. A new home plate club and two outdoor suites are located behind home plate and offer additional premium options for fans. New concessions and restrooms have been provided on the new expanded left field plaza which features new drink rail areas overlooking the field.

“The completion of Phase II of the renovations at Russ Chandler Stadium will provide student-athletes access to cutting-edge training technology, like our pitching and hitting labs that are built around the latest motion capture camera and tracking systems to provide immediate analysis and feedback,” said Todd Stansbury, director of athletics at Georgia Tech. “Equally important is the expanded concourse and fan amenities. Fans are welcomed to Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium with a new entry plaza and will have access to a variety of seating options. Champions Hall honors past teams, student-athletes and coaches while providing some of the best views of the field and Midtown skyline from the Teixeira Skyline Terrace.”

The jewel of the Phase II renovation is the new state-of-the-art, climate-controlled elite training facility which will be used year-round by Georgia Tech student-athletes, as well as alumni and professional baseball players during the offseason. The new training includes a 2,000 SF pitching and hitting lab and 5,000 SF batting tunnel and is located under the concourse with connection to other team areas, as well as direct access to the playing field, allowing student-athletes to make the most of their time during practice. Featuring the latest technology, the pitching and hitting lab includes motion capture cameras, tracking systems and floor pressure plates which can record and analyze data for each player in real-time. This sophisticated motion analysis will evaluate and improve the efficiency of players in the lab, and thus improve their game on the field.

“From the beginning, we knew we wanted to incorporate the latest technology into the design of the training facility, so we spent a lot of time coordinating with vendors to make sure all of their products from motion analysis cameras to pressure plates would seamlessly integrate into the pitching mounds, synthetic turf and building structure and systems,” said Norman Friedman, principal and senior architect at Populous. “With these systems in place at the ballpark, coaches can offer immediate feedback on velocity, bat speed, and more to help their student-athletes train at the highest level.”

Georgia Tech’s Mac Nease Baseball Park is the latest collegiate ballpark from Populous, providing state-of-the-art training for student-athletes and a fresh fan experience. Other recently completed collegiate ballpark projects include Florida Ballpark at Alfred A. McKethan Field, Dudy Noble Field and TD Ameritrade Park, home to the NCAA Division I Men’s College World Series.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have become the latest Major League Baseball team to begin reserving sections of their stadium for fans fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Dodgers started the plan venture at Dodger Stadium for last weekend’s 5-4 win over the San Diego Padres. The game, part of a seven-game homestand at Dodger Stadium, saw the Dodgers make additional seats available in a fully-vaccinated fan section on the Loge level.

Social distancing was not required in this section, with fans seated directly next to other parties. Sections 166LG and 168LG of Dodger Stadium were reserved for fully vaccinated patrons who had received their final vaccine dose at least a fortnight before the game.

Children between the ages of two and 15 were admitted provided they could offer proof of having tested negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of admission. Children under the age of two did not need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test. Face coverings had to be worn in the fully vaccinated-only section, except while actively eating and/or drinking in the ticketed section.

The Dodgers are set to assess findings from Saturday’s trial before potentially offering fully-vaccinated sections for further home games.

The Dodgers’ fellow Californian MLB teams the Padres and San Francisco Giants have already experimented with such sections. The Padres doing so at Petco Park earlier this month and Oracle Park receiving special seating for the Giants’ game on Thursday.

California is currently permitting a maximum of 33% capacity at sports venues, with the state’s seven-day COVID-19 case rate the lowest in the United States.

The International Association of Venue Mangers (IAVM) has joined forces with industry partners to encourage adoption of the COVID vaccine by launching a public awareness campaign titled ‘VAX4LIVE.’ The initiative is focused on raising awareness on the available vaccines as increased adoption is the quickest way to return to live events as safely as possible.

The live events industry has been shuttered for 13 months with devastating results for many artists and venues – economically and culturally.  “Our industry has been hit hard by the pandemic,” stated Brad Mayne, CVE, IAVM President and CEO. “We were the first to have to close our doors, and will be the last to fully reopen. IAVM will do all we can to help raise awareness for COVID vaccines, and Vax4Live provides a central online location for information, engagement and  enhances our efforts to advocate for and support the reopening of our industry.”

The National Independent Talent Organization (NITO) is leading the industry campaign along with several partners including  Fox Theatre,  AEG Presents, Bandit Lites, the International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM), the Independent Promoter Alliance (IPA), Red Light Management, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Universal Attractions Agency and others.

Due to the perceived uncertainty and misinformation of the effects of the vaccine, vaccine hesitancy exists in most states. Public acceptance and adoption, coupled with the distribution of science-based educational resources are crucial to increase vaccine participation. For information on COVID vaccine in your state, including vaccine locations, visit the CDC’s website here.

Additional vaccine resources from the CDC can be found:

• Key Things to Know About COVID Vaccines: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/keythingstoknow.html;
• CDC Benefits of Getting a COVID Vaccine: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/vaccine-benefits.html
• CDC Myths and Facts about COVID Vaccines: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/facts.html

By Maggie Yu

The Shenyang New World EXPO reopened on March 10th 2021 for its third time due to previous governmental mandated COVID related closures in January, April, and December of 2020. The activity following clearly indicated the resilience of the exhibition industry in Shenyang, Liaoning’s provincial capital city, as well as within the northeast region of China.

Five major events were held within EXPO in the last three weeks of March including the 2021 Shenyang International Advertising Festival, the 2021 and 23rd North International Exhibition of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning & Comfortable Home Systems, the 2021 and 22nd China Northeast International Dental Equipment & Affiliated Facilities Exhibition Symposium on Oral Health, the 2021 and 26th China Northeast International Building & Decoration Exhibition, and the Fang Guan Jia Real Estate Agency Annual Conference. The attendance for the five events totaled 187,952.

“From the reopening in July of 2020, all events have been successfully held; organizers have fully respected the COVID-19 procedures which have been approved by Shenyang’s health related bureau,” said Diane Chen, EXPO’s General Manager. “Plans put into action by EXPO included implementation of measures to minimize the causation of virus transmission, strict social distancing protocols, utilization of data and technology to support contact tracing and testing, and focus protocols and communications to reinforce behavioral change to address the new procedures. Attendees have been very cooperative with COVID procedures, e.g., wearing masks, body temperature checks, and distancing when queueing during entry. Visitors have been happy to sanitize their hands and most willing to show their personal health code before entering the venue. Through March 2021, no suspected COVID cases were reported. All the attendees are traceable using organizer registration systems and health codes”.

Shenyang’s health commission, commerce bureau, and public security bureau were included as an extremely important part of EXPO’s reopening team. All team members continually shared the most updated epidemic information and were available to respond to stakeholder questions regarding the status of the epidemic. Also used was the regular updates on operational advice from UFI, The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry and the International Association of Venue Managers. EXPO is an active member of both industry associations.

Cliff Wallace, CVE, Senior Executive Advisor to EXPO, noted that government bureaus were and continue to be very proactive in supporting the exhibition and conference industry and EXPO’s reopening. Wallace said, “On 24th February 2021, Ms. Wang Ping, the Deputy Director of Shenyang Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Mr. Lian Zhiyong, the Head of Emergency Office of the Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, attended EXPO the 4th Organizer & Contractor Co-ordination Meeting encouraging all organizers to cooperate with EXPO’s COVID Prevention Procedures to facilitate the restart the exhibition industry. I was delighted to see the Commerce and Public Security Bureaus actively supporting the reopening by granting the event licenses expeditiously and on time considering the last minute decisions required of the organizers. A high level of cooperation by Government is critical in such emergency and crisis situations.”

Quarantine control measures remain in effect for visitors entering China from outside the mainland. This is similar to other countries globally. The exhibition industry remains challenged until international travel resumes. Both Chen and Wallace remain optimistic that the continual administration of the COVID vaccines and ability to verify that visitors have received the vaccine will be the most effective short term enhancement for the industry’s meaningful restart.

Maggie Yu is in Communications at the Shenyang New World EXPO.

Photo: The 22nd China Northeast International Dental Equipment & Affiliated Facilities Exhibition Symposium on Oral Health