Orlando loses another major convention over coronavirus concerns
ORLANDO, Fla. - The Grainger Show 2020 is the latest convention to cancel their Orlando event amid the growing concerns over the coronavirus.
The industrial manufacturing expo was planned for March 15-17 at the Orange County Convention Center.
“We are closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and have made the difficult — but important — decision to cancel this year’s Grainger Show,” the company said in an email to attendees. “Even though the health risk in North America from the Coronavirus remains low, the situation is getting more complex each day."
“While we’re disappointed we won’t be together in Orlando, all 25,000 of our team members are committed to continuing to help our customers keep their operations working and people safe during this uncertain time.”
The 2020 HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition, which President Trump was scheduled to speak at, the Ellucian Live 2020 conference, and the Minecraft Festival have all canceled in recent weeks.
The HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition alone would have had 43,000 attendees, bringing in about 94,530 room nights at Orange County hotels.
Overall, the loss of this conference cost Orange County $113 million in potential economic impact. The other two conferences, while smaller in size, were still large and combined, caused a $41 million loss in potential economic impact.