Hundreds attended the third annual Alliance business expo on Feb. 12, 2020, at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. The event, put on by Reno-Sparks Chamber of Commerce in partnership with EDAWN, RSCVA and Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority, was one of the final large-scale events of its kind to be held in Reno before pandemic fallout hit a month later.
Photo: Kaleb M. Roedel / NNBW
The handshake might not be back in full swing, but the days of the elbow bump appear all but numbered.
On May 13, the Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada sent out its usual weekly newsletter filled with various business updates. Within the newsletter was something that had been missing for more than a year: a list of upcoming in-person events.
Among those is the “Mid-Year Update and Arts/Business Collaboration Luncheon,” scheduled for Sept. 23 at the Silver Legacy in downtown Reno. The event inside the casino’s 19,360-square-foot Grande Exposition Hall will be the first in-person gathering EDAWN has held since the coronavirus pandemic pushed business events and conventions from physical venues to the digital realm.
Though it may be four months away, EDAWN’s plan to bring hundreds of business professionals together to catch up on the economy, network and share a meal without a laptop screen between them is another sign a return to normalcy is nearing across the Truckee Meadows.
“It’s a big deal,” Mike Kazmierski, president and CEO of EDAWN, told the NNBW. “While we at EDAWN have been open throughout the pandemic, we’ve had to interact and social distance in masks like everyone else. And there’s just a different vibe when you can look a person in the eye, see their facial expressions, and interact with them at a different level.
“By the time we get to September, it will be almost 18 months — that’s a long time for people to reengage. And let’s face it, the human connection is very important, and in many cases that’s been absent.”
VIDEO MEETING EXHAUSTION
Kazmierski pointed to the growing notion across the nation, as well as here in Reno-Sparks, that many in the business world are suffering from Zoom exhaustion, in addition to COVID fatigue.
“Anyone who says Zoom is effective is kidding themselves,” he said. “If it’s more than three people, at least a third of them are totally ignoring the call, so it’s not very effective … Staring at a screen through an hour-long Zoom call has caused a lot of fatigue.”
While several factors ultimately led to EDAWN deciding to put in-person events back on the calendar, Kazmierski said rising vaccination rates in Washoe County and the state of Nevada, as well as the CDC’s recent guidance that vaccinated people don’t have to wear masks or social distance in most instances, helped tip the scales.
That CDC guidance, which Gov. Steve Sisolak quickly adapted to effectively lift most aspects of the Silver State’s mask mandate, came the same day, May 13, that EDAWN announced its full slate of upcoming in-person meetings and receptions — of note, others are planned for Oct. 21, Dec. 16 and Jan. 27, 2022.
Kazmierski added that while event capacities in Nevada are currently at 500 people, that number will likely rise by fall.
“There’s plenty of time between now and September to increase the vaccination numbers and continue toward herd immunity,” Kazmierski said. “We’re pretty confident that by September we’ll be ready to get back to it.
“We expect a return to normal this fall, minus international travel and minus large conventions.”
RAMPING UP
With other events and large-scale gatherings scheduled to return this summer — chief among them in the short-term, the 2021 Reno Rodeo will be at full capacity June 17-26 at the Reno-Sparks Livestock Events Center — the region continues to see encouraging signs its meeting and convention venues will eventually begin filling up and boosting the economy this year and beyond.
As an example, on May 26, the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitors Authority announced three large group events coming to the region that are projected to infuse roughly $18 million into the Northern Nevada economy.
Two of those are planned for this year: USA Climbing competitions from July 9-11 and July 13-18 are estimated to produce 5,000 room nights; and the 2021 Airports Council International (ACI) annual conference and exhibition will feature more than 800 airport executives, representing 2,400 room nights, in November, according to the RSCVA.
The latter event was initially slated to take place in Toronto but was relocated to Reno due to COVID-related travel restrictions in Canada. RSCVA says it has also booked ACI to bring another event to the region in the summer of 2022.
Meanwhile, the third event is planned for 2024 — a week-long Shriners Hospitals for Children event from late June to early July, which is expected to generate 11,000 room nights.
“It’s encouraging to see demand for meetings and events matching the assortment of supply in Reno-Tahoe,” said Charles Harris, president and CEO of the RSCVA. “We’re currently experiencing a pattern where the post-pandemic model for short-term sports event bookings is being replicated by conventions and trade shows. When you look at the short-term recovery, and incorporate the apparent return of traditional, long-term booking windows, this is a wonderful sign for Northern Nevada’s tourism economy and for the travel industry in general.”
Harris said RSCVA recently created a “customer advisory board” in an effort to “attract more of those events that have an overall impact on this community.”
“As part of that looking-forward process, we’re bringing in meeting planners and decision makers for future consideration,” Harris said. “We’re going to work hard to understand why people book here and why people maybe stopped coming here and how we can make improvements.”
In early May, RSCVA announced that Washoe County saw its taxable room revenue down only 0.5% in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same period a year ago. Cash occupied rooms were down 6.4% year-over-year, while average daily rates increased 6.3%.
“It’s great to see things are starting to open up,” Harris said. “The leisure segment is returning. The fact that we’ve stayed open and have delivered on key messages — safe and responsible travel — and the destination lines up with what people want — outdoors and nature — is a testament to the destination and the messaging that we’ve been able to get across.”
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