SPI, ESI and North America Smart Energy Week is the largest business-to-business platform for the renewable energy industry. To facilitate an experience that is safe for all stakeholders, the event has moved outdoors to the Las Vegas Convention Center-Bronze Lot.
The event will be held on Oct. 21-22 and will offer virtual options for attendees who cannot safely travel or attend the event in person.
The move to an outdoor venue is in alignment with WHO guidelines that encourage gatherings and events to be held outdoors. COVID-19 guidelines for outdoor gatherings have already been established, and the opening of outdoor areas like parks, select restaurants and recreational facilities has been underway for a few weeks. The CDC has identified that health concerns from COVID-19 are reduced significantly by being outdoors and in an environment that allows for greater air flow.
“We’re excited to bring this new format to Las Vegas and leverage the open space and open sky for a unique industry event,” says Stephen Miner, president and CEO of Solar Energy Trade Shows.
“This could be the only opportunity for the entire renewable energy industry to collaborate and grow business in 2020. Our main priority is the health and safety of everyone involved, and this re-imagining of our show provides a much safer environment than being indoors,” he adds.
Attendees who travel to Las Vegas will be able to experience the outdoor exhibit hall, along with select education sessions and networking opportunities. In-person attendees can also enjoy a hybrid approach by walking the exhibit floor virtually and engaging in the virtual components from their hotel rooms – including live-streamed sessions, exhibitor interviews and virtual pathways by featured industry hosts and track ambassadors.
The educational content that SPI, ESI and North America Smart Energy Week has become known for will be available via a series of weekly virtual events starting Sep. 14. Virtually, participants can build their custom program over the course of six weeks by choosing from the full selection of online educational sessions that cover everything from energy storage and regulation to innovation and electric vehicles.
The move to Las Vegas is spearheaded by the new “Safely Connecting Initiative” that event organizers will be implementing. This initiative includes social distancing guidelines and precautions, as outlined by the CDC. This includes measures like discouraging giveaways or paper collateral and placing touch-free sanitizing stations throughout the event.
Registration for the new format will be available beginning June 22.
For more information on SPI, ESI and North America Smart Energy Week and the Safely Connecting Initiative, click here.
