ProSource Eyeing In-Person Summit Aug. 2-6, Pending COVID-19 Conditions
"Save the date" for the ProSource annual meeting Aug. 2-6 in San Antonio, emailed the buying group Friday. ProSource canceled the 2020 version of the event, usually held in spring, soon after its March summit with sister group BrandSource went on as scheduled in Las Vegas in the early days of the pandemic. Friday's email said details will follow.
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ProSource CEO David Workman told us the group is scheduling the in-person event based on feedback from dealers and vendors that virtual gatherings "don't work," they're not worth the cost, and "people are tired of them." When posed with various options of holding the spring meeting virtually or in person, members chose in person, he said.
August was as far out as the group could go before running into CEDIA Expo and fall events. It's working on a Plan B if the Aug. 2 date doesn't work. Workman's hope is that vaccines will have been distributed widely enough to create enough herd immunity to get something that's "close to back to normal." Members told Workman to push out the event dates as far as he could, in response to different scenarios. "The lockdown is wearing you down," he said.
The event isn't set in stone. If local restrictions prevent gatherings of that size -- last year's event drew 600 -- or the response of dealers and vendors shows less than about 75% attendance, or if "conditional requirements" make the conference unworkable, the event will likely not be held. An example would be "triple masks required to go to the bathroom," Workman said hypothetically. "You can't have a cocktail party if you have to wear masks." ProSource will make the final decision about the conference mid-June, he said. ProSource has a multiyear agreement with La Cantera Resort in San Antonio. A year can be tacked onto the contract if the 2021 event doesn't work out, he said.
We received the ProSource email within the same hour of receiving notice that high-end audio event The Home Entertainment Show is scheduled for June 11-13 at the Hilton in Long Beach, California, the site of previous shows. The 2020 T.H.E. Show, slotted for June 12-14, was canceled due to COVID-19, tentatively rescheduled for December and ultimately canceled for 2020. Said T.H.E. organizers Friday: “We realize that with the pandemic still ongoing and with so many variables changing on a daily basis (we DO have contingency plans already in place), there will be some questions.” Organizers encouraged questions to be emailed to info@thehomeentertainmentshow.com. Organizers didn’t respond to our questions.