James Magazine May-June 2020 - Magazine - Page 22
we will get
through this. . .
our priority is
on the recovery
— William Pate
Forty-one percent of operators temporarily closed
their restaurant.
Two percent of operators permanently closed their
restaurant, and 12 percent anticipate permanently
closing their restaurant within the next 30 days.
Small independent restaurants across the state are
especially vulnerable to this economic downturn because
they lack deep financial resources. And even with the federal emergency package providing hundreds of millions of
dollars for small businesses, many might not reopen after
the situation has cleared. Many are staying afloat now by
offering curb-service, drive throughs and take-out service.
U n p r eced en t ed T im es
The ACVB’s Pate says this current situation is unlike
any ever faced by the organization. “The reason hospitality is the largest industry in most cities across the world
is because of the immense scale of the business,” he
notes. “When you think about all the financial transactions
that occur during travel and multiply that by the number of people who travel for vacation and business every
year, you begin to understand the breadth of the industry. Unfortunately, this also works in reverse. When you
essentially eliminate travel for an extended period, it has
a devastating impact on the businesses and employees
who serve these travelers.”
Pate and his counterparts across Georgia also note
the state took a big hit even before cities, counties and
then the governor placed limits on travel, large events or
gatherings and dine-in restaurant services.
“Of the 22 major citywide events we had booked at
the start of the year, three canceled including the NCAA
Men’s Final Four,” said Pate. “Those three pieces of
business account for more than $125 million in estimated
economic impact. Four groups hosted their events before
the pandemic, and Mizuno Big South Volleyball Nation22
JAMES
M AY/JUNE 2020
al Qualifier was postponed from April until June. The 14
remaining major citywide groups scheduled this year
currently plan to host their events.”
Innovative Solutions Fo u nd
Paul Cramer, president and CEO of The Classic Center
Authority, the governing body that oversees Athens’
370,000-square-foot convention center, went looking for
innovative solutions after being forced to cancel or postpone everything scheduled through the end of March. A
big solution, it turns out, was to change the venue into
an assembly site for high-tech sanitation stations. He
quickly assembled an internal task force to research ways
the Classic Center could serve as a community resource
during the pandemic.
While various convention centers across the country
are converting their facilities into hospital space, or even
space for the homeless, Cramer said that wasn’t the best
answer for The Classic Center. Although the Authority
head made a similar offer for use of the Classic Center for
hospital space, he was turned down. Soon after, though,
his task force came up with the idea of using the venue
to produce portable disinfectant machines that fight the
virus head-on. And, as this is written, Cramer announced
that the Classic Center’s Grand Hall will become a factory
to build devices used to kill the new coronavirus that’s
causing the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to reports, a company called ByoPlanet International has agreed to hire 40 Classic Center employees
who are out of work. “It was a godsend for us” said Cramer.
“It came just as I was having to do layoffs.” (More than 100
of the facility’s full- and part-time employees were part of
that layoff.). ByoPlanet, by the way, manufactures a special
kind of electrostatic spraying system based on research by
University of Georgia professor Edward Law.
gives them an opportunity to explore the destination even
when they cannot be here in person.”
Pate explains that Atlanta has a very strong convention
calendar in the back half of this year, and that the ACVB
sales team is actively working with the staff at Georgia
World Congress Center to optimize convention space to
allow bringing in additional meetings later this year.
Scott McQuade, president and CEO of the Golden
Isles Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the tourism industry was just coming out of the four slowest months of
the year and heading into the four busiest months when
Covid-19 hit. “Just prior to the orders that restricted our
beaches and travel, the Golden Isles hotel occupancy was
in the high 80s in the height of spring break and within a
few days later occupancy dwindled to single digits,” said
McQuade. “Hotel occupancy remains in the single digits
currently and many resorts and hotels have closed until
the beginning of May.”
Despite all the bad news, though, McQuade notes
there are silver linings for this popular travel destination.
“Hotel reservations have been holding for June and July
and into the fall. We are optimistic that people will still
desire to travel once it is safe to do so. We are also in a
good position geographically to take advantage of travelers wanting to stay closer to home. And the quiet and
natural setting of the Golden Isles will be well positioned
to attract visitors from around the Southeast region and
will make a strong comeback.”
Mark Zimmerman, of Zimmerman Consulting who
works with the hospitality industry, says “As we move
through these very difficult times, I strongly encourage that
all of our trade shows, conventions, corporate meetings,
event promoters and producers find a way to keep and do
events in Georgia. We know how important it is to be safe
first, and now we all know that we must get our business
community back engaged to drive our economy.”
Cindy Morley is a staff writer for James and InsiderAdvantage Georgia.
Lo oking ah e ad to th e fu tu re
Pate says the ACVB led the way in the meetings
industry about four years ago with the introduction of a
suite of online virtual reality tour products for meeting
and event planners. This has really paid off during shelter-in-place times.
“This technology allows our staff to provide meeting
planners with an immersive experience in lieu of an actual
in-person site visit. Users can explore the Georgia World
Congress Center Authority campus and its surrounding
after-hours entertainment or visit five distinct Atlanta
neighborhoods.” “Our organization,” he continues, “books
major conventions anywhere from 5-10 years in advance.
While travel is slow now, meeting planners are still looking
at Atlanta for future meetings. This type of technology
allows us to stay top of mind with decision makers and
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