With a vaccine for the COVID-19 coronavirus poised to make large-scale gatherings safe again as soon as early next year, two major industry events—traditionally held in the first half of each year—are moving their 2021 gatherings back to the second half, offering a sign of confidence in the return of major conventions.
The Americas Lodging Investment Summit, hosted by the BHN Group along with the American Hotel & Lodging Association, traditionally kicks off the year’s events with a large-scale gathering of investors and hoteliers each January. This year’s ALIS conference was held before the pandemic shut down conventions, with nearly 3,100 delegates in attendance. The next one will be held from July 26-28, 2021, at the JW Marriott/Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles L.A. Live in California. As a precursor to the in-person conference, the organizers will host an online event called ALIS Winter Update on Jan. 25, 2021, providing insight, commentary and analysis on the road to recovery.
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The annual HITEC conference, normally held in June, moved online this year after an initial postponement. Next year’s event is set to take place Sept. 27-30 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. In what could be taken as a return to normalcy, the 2022 conference is slated to return to its traditional time slot and will be held June 27-30 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.