Latest data shows IHA protocols ensure safe, controlled environment for guests
PITTSBURGH, PA (Feb. 3, 2022) –The risk of COVID transmission will be at a rate of less than 0.1% of total attendance during The Inspired Home Show next month, according to updated data released today by Epistemix, a computational modeling software company that develops simulations to model the spread of diseases and inform policy. This projection places The Inspired Home Show, set for March 5-7 at Chicago’s McCormick Place, below the Center for Disease Control (CDC) threshold for safe travel and gathering.
“Creating a controlled environment is crucial for conferences like The Inspired Home Show,” says Dr. Lindsey Reiser, managing director of professional services at Epistemix. “The robust program 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.”
Covid-related statistics in Chicago continue to improve, and this trend is expected to continue into February and March. On Jan. 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. Arwady announced, “I am very, very pleased to say that we have formally passed the omicron peak here in the city of Chicago…this is not just an artifact of testing. This is in fact, a true peak.”
Subsequently, during a press conference on Feb. 1, Arwady noted that the city’s positivity rate on COVID tests continues to decline – down significantly from the early January peak.
Partnering in August 2021, Epistemix and the International Housewares Association are working together to develop appropriate mitigation strategies to improve and ensure the safety of The Inspired Home Show.
Projections show:
- McCormick Place’s GBAC certification, use of hospital-grade sanitation and increased airflow filtration and circulation ensure a controlled environment that provides a high level of protection from COVID-19.
- The Inspired Home Show masking, testing and vaccination protocols provide a low risk of transmissibility among attendees of the event.
- With the combined efforts of McCormick Place and IHA, Epistemix projects the risk of infection at The Inspired Home Show to be less than 0.1% of all attendees, placing the event below the CDC threshold for safe travel and gathering.
- Epistemix data has proven to be 95% accurate when forecasting for past events.
“After two years without a major home + housewares industry trade show, both retailers and suppliers are craving in-person product discovery and interaction,” said Derek Miller, IHA president & 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 Inspired Home Show, IHA’s global home + housewares marketplace, will be held March 5-7 at Chicago’s McCormick Place Complex. For more information about the 2022 Show and to register for a Show badge, please visit TheInspiredHomeShow.com/register. Before picking up their Show badge at McCormick Place, all exhibitors and attendees will be required to demonstrate proof of vaccination OR produce a negative Covid-19 test that had been administered in the previous 72 hours. Information on what precautions are being taken to ensure the health and safety of the industry is available on our Covid Readiness webpage.
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About Epistemix
Epistemix empowers leaders to make better decisions by simulating how diseases, ideas, and behavior spread through communities. We leverage decades of epidemiological experience, diverse datasets, and scientific best-practice to build computational models that forecast the health impacts of policy interventions so that organizations can take informed action. We are currently working with companies, event organizers, school districts, and state governments across the United States to evaluate opening strategies and gauge COVID-19 response. To learn more, visit www.epistemix.com.
About IHA and The Inspired Home Show
The International Housewares Association is the 84-year-old voice of the housewares industry. The not-for-profit, full-service association sponsors the world’s premier exposition of products for the home, The Inspired Home Show, IHA’s Global Home + Housewares Market (TheInspiredHomeShow.com), and offers its 1,400 member companies a wide range of services, including industry and government advocacy, export assistance, industry and consumer trends through the IHA Market Watch Report, executive management peer groups, a B2B community at Housewares.org, group buying discounts on business solutions services, direct-to-consumer engagement through TheInspiredHome.com and an independent news and information platform through HomePageNews.com.
