Together with the AASA Technology Council, the Automotive Aftermarket Suppliers Association (AASA) has announced updated health and safety measures for the AASA Technology Conference.

The conference is scheduled for Oct. 11-12 in Memphis, Tennessee.

The Technology Conference is AASA’s first in-person event since the pandemic began and, as such, the well-being of attendees is AASA’s primary concern, the association said.   

Attendees will be required to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID PCR test administered prior to arrival to attend the event. 

Vaccination cards and test results will need to be uploaded to a secured, third-party verification platform prior to the event. This information will be emailed to attendees on or around October 1.  

For those attendees who are unable to obtain a PCR test prior to the event, onsite testing will be available.  

Also, AASA announced:

• Per local ordinances and the protocols of the host facilities, masks will be required while indoors, regardless of health or vaccination status. This includes restaurants and bars, common areas, and lobbies of hotels and private clubs. 
• Event seating will be spaced to allow for appropriate social distancing. 
• The Halloran Center, where the AASA Technology Conference sessions will be held, has upgraded (MERV) filter/ventilation systems.  
• Care will be taken with food service to meet health and safety guidelines.  
• The Technology Conference also will be available virtually the following week, Monday, Oct. 18, and Tuesday, Oct. 19, for those unable to travel.  

“By taking these measures seriously, we are confident that we can substantially reduce health and safety risk and increase the comfort and confidence of our attendees who would like to participate in-person,” AASA said in a news release.

Additionally, according to recent findings from a research partnership between Freeman, a global leader in events, and Epistemix, a computational modeling software company, large in-person business events are safe and do not increase local COVID-19 case rates.  

Following are key findings of the research: 

• Risks of COVID-19 infection at events were as much as eight times less than the metro area where they were being held. For recent August events, the infection rates were as much as 95% lower than the U.S. at large.
• In-person business event participants are more likely to be vaccinated, reflecting a vaccination rate above 80%, and creating vaccination coverage that drastically cuts transmission of COVID-19 at those events, regardless of the gathering size. 

For more information on health and safety protocols from AASA, Hyatt, the Halloran Center and the city of Memphis, use the links below:  

• AASA Code of Conduct & Terms and Conditions 
• Hyatt Global Care Cleanliness Commitment 
• Memphis COVID-19 Updates & Resources for Visitors 
• Memphis Public Health Resource Center 
• Halloran Center: All full-time and part-time Orpheum Theatre Group employees, which include those at the Halloran Center, are required to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 1.