The health and safety of each and every member of our community and our staff is of the utmost importance to us. After closely monitoring the risk and impact of COVID-19 on a daily basis, and speaking at length with members of our community, HOW Design Live, which had been scheduled for May 4-7, 2020, at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, MA, has been postponed to October 26-29, 2020 at the recently renovated Marriott Marquis, Atlanta, GA.
The recent developments regarding COVID-19 that we are all familiar with at this point, including, but not limited to, the declaration of a National State of Emergency; the State of Emergency announced by Governor Charlie Baker, the latest federal measures, including travel restrictions placed on foreign nationals traveling to the United States from certain EU member states and other places; the declaration by the WHO of COVID-19 as a pandemic; the accelerating pace of confirmed cases worldwide and domestically; current quarantines, containment areas, stay at home orders, and restrictions on congregating and large gatherings imposed by states and other government and public health authorities; various company-imposed travel restrictions on employees affecting attendees and participating companies; made it impossible to effectively execute a May event that delivers the level of education, connection, and customer value our community expects.
Driven by our responsibility to produce a great event and best serve the interests of our HOW community, we made the decision to postpone HOW Design Live to October 26-29, 2020 at the Marriott Marquis, Atlanta, GA.
HOW Design Live’s mission is to provide educational opportunities, networking and opportunities to meet with industry vendors to equip our community to further their design careers and inspire their creativity. This priority is the driving force behind our commitment to produce a 2020 event that meets the needs and expectations of our community.
We are focused on continuing to serve our industry, creating ways to connect and working closely with our community, to provide the necessary support and information to prepare them for a successful 2020 event.
We appreciate your ongoing loyalty to HOW Design Live and thank you in advance for your understanding. We know you might have some questions about the logistics that come with a date and location change, so we’ve added a list of FAQs below.
For all Attendees and Speakers, we wish to assure you that your registration and participation is unchanged and valid for the 2020 event.
For all Exhibitors, please know that your HOW Design Live booth space is still reserved for the 2020 event! Our team will be reaching out with a one-page contract addendum requiring acknowledgement of the new event dates.
ATTENDEE FAQ
| Should I re-register? | No! Your existing registration is unchanged and valid for HOW Design Live 2020, taking place October 26-29, 2020 at the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, GA |
| What are my options if I am unable to attend later in the year? | We very much hope you will still be able to join us, but we understand that conflicts may arise with the new dates. If you are no longer able to attend due to a date conflict, you have three options:
1. To transfer your conference pass to another team member, contact Registration Customer Service: HOW@experient-inc.com |
| Is there a deadline if I would like to transfer my pass to a colleague? | No. To transfer conference pass(es), registrants unable to attend may send a substitute from the same company by having him or her bring the registrant’s confirmation letter to HOW Design Live to receive a badge for admission. Or, you can contact Registration Customer Service (see contact details above) and request the change prior to the event. |
| Is there a deadline if I would like to request a registration credit or request a refund? | Yes. May 4, 2020, is the deadline to request a credit that can be applied to registration for HOW Design Live 2021 (to be held in Chicago, May 2021) or to request a 100% refund. Requests received after this date will not be eligible to receive a credit toward HOW Design Live 2021 or a refund for this year’s event. |
| Will the program change? | We anticipate that most of our existing speakers will still be able to participate. We are currently in the process of confirming each speaker and will replace any who are unable to participate with equally high-quality speakers. |
| Should I cancel my flight? | Many airlines are offering waived change fees at this time. We would recommend changing your flights to align with the new show dates as soon as possible. |
| How do I rebook my hotel? |
If you booked a room in the HOW Design Live hotel block via EventSphere, the official housing vendor of HOW Design Live, please know that we are working on a process to manage your hotel rebooking. We will update you as soon as we have a process in place. If you booked a hotel reservation outside of our block, you will need to cancel or transfer your reservation on your own. We would ask that you transfer your booking to one of the event hotels. |
EXHIBITOR FAQ
| Am I still an exhibitor at HOW Design Live 2020? | Yes. Your HOW Design Live space application is still reserved for the event. Our team will be reaching out with a one-page contract addendum requiring acknowledgement of the new event dates. |
| Will my sponsorships roll over to the new dates? | Yes. All signed sponsorship contracts will remain valid. Our team will be reaching out with a one-page sponsorship contract addendum requiring acknowledgement of the new event dates. |
| Are there still sponsorship opportunities available? | Yes! Many sponsorship deadlines that had passed will now have new deadlines and are available again. If you are interested in exploring opportunities or customizing a new sponsorship idea, please contact Jon McLoughlin at jon.mcloughlin@emeraldx.com. |
| Will the Exhibitor Services Manual be updated with new deadlines? | Yes. We are working on this now and will communicate this with you as soon as it is updated. Exhibitor Service Manuals typically are made available three months prior to show staging, so the new target date would be the end of May. |
| What are my options if I am unable to exhibit on the new dates? |
We very much hope you will still be able to join us, but we understand that conflicts may arise with the new dates. If your company is no longer able to attend due to a date conflict, please contact Jon McLoughlin at jon.mcloughlin@emeraldx.com. |