As of Monday, June 8, 2020
International Market Centers, an operator of prominent showroom buildings for the furniture, gift, home décor, rug and apparel businesses, announced that it reopened its exhibition spaces AmericasMart Atlanta and Atlanta Decorative Arts Center on June 8. These market buildings in Atlanta had been restricted to tenants, staff and appointment-only meetings to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The company’s World Market Center Las Vegas and IMC’s High Point Properties in High Point, N.C., are scheduled to reopen June 15, said Bob Maricich, IMC’s chief executive officer. The buildings’ reopening to the public will be rolled out under guidance from the School of Medicine and Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University of Atlanta, as well as health officials in Las Vegas and High Point, Maricich said.
“Health and safety remain top of mind as we move to reopen our campuses,” he said. “We strongly believe that we all of a duty to operate with an abundance of caution to help curb the spread of the virus, and we have worked diligently to find the appropriate balance between protecting the health of our IMC team members, our customers and our communities, while also helping our customers and our industries return to business.”
The reopening program, called the Together Safely Master Plan, recommended a number of procedures to follow to ensure building safety. They include contactless registration procedures, use of personal protective equipment on campus, as well as expanded sanitization policies and implementation of social distancing.
Upcoming trade shows are scheduled to be produced on IMC campuses. The Las Vegas Market is scheduled to run from Aug. 30 to Sept. 3 at World Market Center in downtown Las Vegas. The Atlanta Market trade show is scheduled to run Aug. 13-18 at the AmericasMart, according to IMC statements.