XRX STITCHES Midwest has been postponed until September 2020.
Read the press release.
Hello Friends!
As we all adjust to our shared COVID-19 world, my thoughts and the thoughts of the STITCHES management and crew are with you and your families. We hope you’re staying safe and healthy.
There are so many challenges right now. And there has been loss. But as emotionally and financially draining as it is for us all, there is still kindness, compassion, and inspiration. As a creative community, we are all adapting to keep the Makers’ world intact.
In that spirit, we’ve been working hard on our upcoming events, and I have updates. We realize that a late July STITCHES Midwest is not practical or safe. So, we have coordinated with the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center to postpone STITCHES Midwest to September 3-6, 2020, Labor Day weekend.
While we feel this postponement is the best decision we can make at the moment and gives us 6 additional weeks to assess and evaluate, the situation with COVID-19 is continually evolving.
Our main goal is to have a safe environment for everyone. We will make a final decision no later than 30 days before the event. Obviously, at that time, should the state, the convention center, or other authorities direct that we avoid large gatherings, we will cancel.
Meanwhile, we’re implementing new policies for this event to help ensure the safety of our attendees, vendors, instructors, and staff.
To maintain social distancing in the Market, we will:
- increase booth sizes from 10′ x 10′ to 9′ x 16′ to create wider aisles and more space (an extra 44 square feet) to move within the booth
- implement social distancing procedures which will include: one-way,12-foot-wide aisles and additional signage promoting social distancing, etc.
- work with the local fire marshal and other agencies to determine whether we will be required to limit admittance to the market
- limit class sizes and arrange seating to allow for physical distancing
- limit tickets to the evening events (Fashion Show, Fashion Show Dinner, and Student Banquet & Style Show) and space seating according to distancing guidelines
- require masks in all public spaces
- work closely with the convention center and hotel to clean and sanitize public spaces
We will continue to work with the venue to adapt to new norms, updating or adding policies as necessary.
Our team has already reached out to the STITCHES Midwest teachers, exhibitors, and attendees to work through the process of this change of date. We understand that the change of date may not work for some of you, so we want to work with you and be as flexible as possible, given the difficulties around the COVID-19 situation. And of course, we are monitoring updates from the CDC, state, and local agencies to make thoughtful decisions about our events.
I’ll end where I started… We hope you and your families continue to be well. Thank you for your continued support and patronage. Thank you for your resilience and resolve. And thank you for letting us be a part of your community. We look forward to seeing you all again at STITCHES!
Sincerely,
Benjamin Levisay
CEO, XRX, Inc.
STITCHES Events, XRX Books, & stitch tips
P.S. Here are some resource links that are specific to this venue…
https://clean.marriott.com
https://marriott-re-2019ncovc.com
PDF download from the Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel: http://www.knittinguniverse.com/downloads/CustomerUpdateSchaumburg.pdf
