Informa Markets’ New Hope Network is committed to safely gathering the natural and organic industry at Natural Products Expo East in Philadelphia, Sept. 22-25.
In addition to following guidance from the CDC and local and regional health experts, we sought industry feedback, recognizing the importance of the community’s voice in our Expo East planning. We send a heartfelt “thank you” to the thousands of industry members who responded to the survey we circulated.
Based on your feedback, we have decided to enhance our safety measures and will implement a mask mandate and require proof of vaccination OR negative COVID-19 test for all participants of Natural Products Expo East 2021.
Please feel free to contact your account manager or our client services team at [email protected]. Thank you for your continued support, trust and patience and we look forward to seeing you all in Philadelphia next month.
Informa AllSecure: Our Commitment to Your Safety
The event will be organized in accordance with Informa AllSecure health and safety standards. Expo East will feature hand sanitation units, contactless registration, face mask requirements, enhanced cleaning, and more.
Cleaning & Hygiene
Under Informa AllSecure standards, Expo East will facilitate cleaning and hygiene through the following processes:
Enhanced Cleaning in High Traffic Areas
All cleaning practices have been thoroughly enhanced to ensure we are exceeding standards for disinfecting and hygiene with an increased focus on key touchpoints including high-traffic areas, handles and rails, restrooms, food and beverage areas, information desks and conference and meeting rooms.
NPEE will be deploying electrostatic disinfection systems on a regular basis to sanitize the show floor and Show Management Service Areas such as Registration, Sales, Show Office and Information Desks.
All chemicals are regularly reviewed and renewed to ensure they are of highest quality in fighting against viruses while maintaining a HACCP compliant food safe environment.
The collection and removal of waste will be increased, and receptacles will be continuously disinfected throughout the show. There will also be an increased number of waste management attendants throughout the campus area.
Personal Hygiene
All of the venue’s high contact surfaces will be disinfected continuously throughout the day. Hand sanitizer will be conveniently placed throughout the facility.
Thank you to Dr. Bronner’s for being the Official Natural Hand Sanitizer and supplying Natural Products Expo East with a safe option containing organic ingredients throughout the Pennsylvania Convention Center in 2021.
Enhanced Cleaning on the Show Floor
The show floor aisle carpet will be removed entirely to maintain more effective aisle cleaning throughout the day.
Exhibitor booth cleaning services will be available in the Exhibitor Services Kit (ESK) and will include top to bottom sanitization of booths.
Exhibitors will adhere to a new set of sampling regulations which will be enforced by Show Management and the Philadelphia Department of Health .
Sampling Regulations
Sampling is a critical and core component of the Natural Products Expos and we’ve been working closely with local authorities to ensure we’re able to return to sampling in a safe and productive manner.
Moving forward in partnership and compliance with the Philadelphia Health Department, we will require open samples (prepared or cooked) to be served in individual portions and will require gloves, a facemask, hairnet, a sneeze guard or food cover, and hand washing and sanitation kits. We ask all attendees to Stop and Sample. Masks are required for all indoor locations except when actively eating or drinking while stationary.
Most of these guidelines carry over from our previous policy and we’ll be working closely with the health department for their implementation to ensure the continued health and wellness of our community.
We’re all in this together and we must rely on each other to create the safest and most productive environment possible. View our Sampling Guidelines.
Physical Distancing
Under Informa AllSecure standards, Expo East will facilitate physical distancing through the following processes:
Limited-Contact Registration
NPEE will be working with our registration provider to ensure registration does not require direct contact with a NPEE representative.
We encourage everyone to register online prior to the event to ensure the onsite experience is streamlined.
Crowd Density Standard (CDS)
NPEE will apply crowd density standards, in accordance with local and state authorities’ guidance, to control the density of the show floor and community gathering spaces and allow for appropriate physical distancing.
Ambassadors will be deployed throughout the event to monitor flow of traffic and mitigate key density points to support physical distancing.
Chairs will be distanced in conference sessions with reduced capacities for all rooms.
Physical Contact
Through new technology measures, NPEE will minimize contact and lines during the digital badge process for on-site.
All aspects of the event, including floor plans and aisle widths, room capacities, service providers and their practices, conference scheduling and special events and receptions will be reviewed to ensure that we are providing the highest level of safety and comfort for our community.
NPEE will continue to implement and enforce the registration qualification process to maximize interactions with the highest quality of attendees while maintaining crowd density standards.
NPEE encourages sharing information digitally by connecting through the NPEE mobile app rather than exchanging business cards to limit physical contact.
Food and Beverage
Food and beverage services will be modified to minimize contact and restrict any self-servicing .
Protect and Detect
Under Informa AllSecure standards, Expo East will facilitate required health protocols and assistance through the following processes:
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Masks are required for all participants of Natural Products Expo East 2021. Masks will be provided for those who do not have one.
First Aid
There will be an increased number of First Aid stations and first responders throughout the event. These efforts will continue to be in coordination with local authorities and medical personnel.
GBAC STAR Accreditation
(GBAC) STAR accreditation on outbreak prevention, response, and recovery! Recognized as the gold standard of safe venues, the PCC is one of the largest venues in the northeast to receive the GBAC STAR™ accreditation. For more information, click here.
Building & HVAC Improvements
Pennsylvania Convention Center building engineers continue to verify the operation of mechanical systemsand will restore all sequences, set points and schedules modified from the rollback of Operations.
Air quality improvements include:
- Increasing building outside air intake/air exchange rates during occupied event hours.
- Ongoing process of replacing HVAC air filters with higher efficiency MERV-14 filters.
- Advanced plasma air purification technology for larger spaces are being installed.
All Life Safety Systems are maintained by the PCC’s in-house and third-party contractors. City of Philadelphia Certification is required for these systems. Records are kept on file and up-to-date on our ALTUM CMMS Software. KONE UV escalator handrail sanitization system installed.
Informa AllSecure FAQs
Informa AllSecure is the approach we are taking to enhancing the health and safety standards in place at Informa events following COVID-19.
From exhibitors to sponsors, speakers, visitors and journalists, those who come to our events come to connect, learn, know more and do more business, effectively and safely.
The standards and practices that make up Informa AllSecure are designed to provide confidence that at every Informa event, we are striving to provide the highest standards of safety, hygiene, cleanliness, and quality.
Informa AllSecure is based on a set of event industry standards, called All Secure.
The All Secure industry standards were developed collaboratively by a group including industry associations UFI, AEO and SISO, event organizers Informa, Reed Exhibitions and Clarion, a range of event venues, suppliers and with input from health, government, and local authorities.
Informa AllSecure is the way these industry-wide All Secure standards are being applied to Informa events.
You can expect to see that health and safety is a priority and that a range of measures are in place to ensure everyone involved is able to enjoy a safe, hygienic, productive, and high-quality organized event experience.
As a starting point, Informa AllSecure events will be run according to the guidance of government or official authority guidance, and according to any venue-specific regulations. In addition, all Informa AllSecure events follow ten key commitments around hygiene, physical distancing, and protection & detection, with additional measures in place where relevant and practical.
No environment or space inside or outside of the home can ever be 100% safe.
At controlled event gatherings like Informa events and through Informa AllSecure, we have put in place a comprehensive range of enhanced standards that make the health and safety of everyone who attends a priority.
Through measures such as enhanced deep cleaning before, during and after events, non-contact registration, distancing and crowd management, and the deployment of screening and requirement of protective equipment, we are striving to provide the highest standards of safety, hygiene and cleanliness, and to ensure that following COVID-19, our customers, partners and colleagues can connect, learn, know more and do business effectively, safely and with confidence.
We are contacting all participants before the event to let them know what to expect at the event and how to prepare. Upon arrival, signage will be displayed throughout the venue to remind everyone of the enhanced health and safety measures that are in place, and our expectations of all visitors.
We are also using technology to reduce the need for physical contact, for example, connecting via mobile app rather than exchanging business cards, and actively managing visitor flow to ensure physical distancing can be maintained.
The above information is subject to change as we continue to track this situation and receive guidance from state and local health authorities, the Pennsylvania Convention Center, the CDC and WHO, and we will provide regular and timely updates to help the community best prepare for Expo East.
Questions?
If you have further questions or concerns, contact us at [email protected].
