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CEO DATELINE - Two groups cancel spring in-person shows

CEO DATELINE - Two groups cancel spring in-person shows

The Helicopter Association International and the International Sign Association this week canceled their in-person trade shows scheduled for March and April, according to statements from each of the two groups. ISA said its event would be entirely virtual and free of charge. HAI said it is canceling its entire show and that refunds would be available to exhibitors and attendees.

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"While some in our industry have urged us to carry on with (HAI HELI-EXPO 2021), the majority have recently expressed discomfort with the logistics involved in business travel at this time," HAI said in its statement. The show had been scheduled for late March in New Orleans.

Registered attendees will receive a full refund, HAI said, and exhibitors will be offered a range of options, from a full refund to applying their payments to next year's show. It is currently scheduled for March 7-10, 2022, in Dallas.

ISA said developments in the COVID-19 pandemic forced it to take its event online.

"Given the current state of the pandemic, we believe that the only solution will be for ISA Sign Expo 2021 to become a fully virtual event taking place over the same dates, April 7-9," the group said in a statement.

While COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths very recently have ticked lower, they remain much higher than the middle of last year, and new, more contagious strains are emerging.

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