Colorado Governor Jared Polis’s executive order naming the Colorado Convention Center in Denver as the site of an emergency medical facility for COVID-19 patients has been extended through the end of the year. The decision leaves this year’s SCTE Cable-Tec Expo, originally scheduled to take place at the site October 13-16, without a home.
“We are deeply disappointed Cable-Tec Expo 2020 cannot proceed in Denver as planned,” said Mark Dzuban, president and CEO of SCTE•ISBE, in a press statement issued this afternoon. “SCTE•ISBE’s senior leadership team is assessing the situation and giving careful consideration to alternative arrangements. Rest assured, SCTE•ISBE remains committed to supporting our members as the industry and the world grapples with COVID-19 and will honor all eligible requests for refunds.
“We will share additional information as our path forward solidifies in the days and weeks ahead. In the meantime, thank you for your patience and we hope you remain safe,” he added.
The show organizers would appear to have limited options. Several events originally slated for the spring and summer have been moved to the fourth quarter of the year, making the show calendar crowded and limiting the availability of venues large enough to hold a show the size of Cable-Tec Expo. The uncertainty surrounding the lifting of travel and meeting restrictions across the country further complicates matters. For these reasons, some in-person events have been held in virtual form, and this avenue may be under consideration.
Governor Polis designated the Colorado Convention Center as one of two emergency medical facility sites at the height of the pandemic. At the time, the convention center was scheduled to house 2,000 beds and be available on April 18. However, as the pandemic has eased in the state, those plans have shifted to 250 beds available by June 4, according to a report in the Denver Post. The facilities will be held at the ready in case there is a second wave to the pandemic later this year, the article states.