International Market Centers (IMC) recently released its “Together Safely” plan for reopening its buildings in Atlanta, High Point and Las Vegas and preparing for Summer 2020 markets given the COVID-19 situation. The plan, which details safety mitigants and operational protocols for IMC facilities, staff, customers and third-party vendors, was developed by an IMC task force in consultation with a top epidemiologist and in concert with government mandates and public health recommendations. The full 30-page plan is available online at TogetherSafely.com.
“As we prepare to reopen our campuses and our markets, the health and well-being of our customers and staff are the top priority for IMC,” said Bob Maricich, IMC CEO. “The Together Safely plan aims to address every moment of the campus experience and sets guidelines for each interaction — from arrival to departure — to ensure that we are creating an environment where all steps recommended by health and local officials have been taken to minimize the risk of transmission of COVID-19 from one individual to another.”
IMC has continually monitored guidance issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), government leaders, industry groups and other experts throughout the COVID-19 crisis. In preparation for the reopening of its facilities, IMC created a cross-functional team to produce a set of protocols which have been vetted by state and municipal officials as well as the Emory University School of Medicine and Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta.
The resulting plan dictates that IMC reopen its campuses in four phases — pre-opening preparation, resumption of year-round business, recall of employees and resumption of markets — with specific guidelines for tenants, attendees and staff during each phase. Additionally, IMC has added physical mitigants on the campuses including the development of new contactless registration procedures, requirement of personal protective equipment (PPE) for all attendees and staff, expanded sanitization policies and the implementation of social distancing and traffic control measures. The Together Safely protocols are mandatory for all during their time on each IMC campus and serve as recommended guidelines for tenants developing protocols for their own showrooms.
“We have done the hard work of creating and implementing these new protocols so our buyers and suppliers can do their important work — sourcing and selling the products necessary for business reopening and economic recovery,” adds Maricich.
Together Safely is positioned as a living document, to be revisited, reviewed, and revised on an ongoing basis as developments in the impact of COVID-19 may require. These protocols will be reevaluated by IMC and additions and refinement of these protocols will be posted to the website TogetherSafely.com before and during each IMC market.
About International Market Centers:
International Market Centers (IMC) is the world’s largest operator of premier showroom space for furniture, gift, home décor, rug, and apparel industries. International Market Centers owns and operates nearly 20 million square feet of world-class exhibition space in High Point, N.C., Las Vegas and Atlanta. IMC’s mission is to build and operate an innovative, sustainable, profitable and scalable platform for the furniture, gift, home décor, rug, and apparel industries. For more information on IMC, visit imcenters.com.