Convention center to host 30K next month
National volleyball tourney to follow social distancing, protocols
The Orange County Convention Center is preparing to open back up next month with an expected gathering of 30,000 people for a national youth volleyball tournament with promises it will follow social distancing and other coronavirus safety protocols.
The 47th AAU Junior National Volleyball Championships will begin on June 16, the first event at the convention center since nearly 50 shows have canceled or postponed since early March as virus infections began climbing in Florida.
The tournament, which drew more than 100,000 people last year, will be less than a third of that size and will not allow spectators.
The AAU’s decision to stage the annual youth tourney sparked debate on an AAU message board with some decrying the push to continue with the tournament as “irresponsible” and “a money grab” and another writing “America is still a free country … Anyone who does not want to come can make that choice.” Messages were posted anonymously.
A spokeswoman for the Amateur Athletic Union said entries for the tourney are still being accepted.
Convention center spokeswoman Nadia Vanderhoff said Wednesday afternoon the event is “still tentative and contingent” on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ allowing Florida to move into the second phase of his plan for reopening the state’s economy.
At a Wednesday meeting of his Economic Recovery Task Force, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings noted the convention center had adopted safety measures and
protocols to protect the safety of visitors, but added that he was “still a little concerned” about the venue hosting a large group of athletes. He said he would look to guidance from health experts.
The center’s announcement Wednesday about new cleanliness standards comes during just the second week of DeSantis’ first reopening phase and as local officials say it’s still too early to tell if the looser restrictions will fuel a new wave of the pandemic.
Center officials say the event will be governed by a list of safety protocols to promote social distancing as well as mandatory temperature checks of players and officials.
Last week, the AAU posted on its web site a video featuring Dr. Don Plumley, chief quality officer at Orlando Health’s Arnold Palmer Hospital.
“Orlando Health and the AAU are working in partnership to make this a safe and successful tournament,” Plumley said in the 47-second clip. “We are working diligently to come up with strategies for masking, hand-washing, pre-screening prior to the event as well as social-distancing queues within the venue.” He said Orlando Health would have a medical team on site “to oversee and ensure a safe environment for all participants.”
More than 1,800 people who live in Florida have died as a result of the coronavirus.
Vanderhoff said there’s an 11-page list of new protections for those who come to the more than 2.1 million-square-foot building, which is the secondlargest meeting space in the nation. The list is posted on the center’s website, occc.net.
Guests will be urged to stand at least 6 feet away from other people while standing in lines, using elevators or moving around the convention center campus.
Tables, chairs, seating areas and other physical layouts will be arranged to ensure appropriate distancing.
Employees will be reminded not to touch their faces and to practice physical distancing by standing at least six feet away from guests and fellow employees if possible.
And handshakes are strongly discouraged.
The idea is that keeping as much space as possible between people will help reduce the possibility of the contagion spreading through coughs, sneezes or other droplets that can transmit the virus even if the carrier isn’t showing any symptoms.
The convention center’s protocols are intended to safeguard guests, employees and the community and build confidence and trust, said executive director Mark Tester.
“As we face these unprecedented times, it is vital that we take the necessary steps in order to recover from this crisis,” he said in a news release.
The convention center is also going after recognition from the Global Biorisk Advisory Council, which is offering to recognize big venues that meet certain cleaning and disinfection standards.
The Las Vegas Convention Center and Chicago’s McCormick Place have also signed on to earn the accreditation.
The council is a division of the International Sanitary Supply Association, a worldwide association for the cleaning industry. Other convention centers and stadiums are seeking similar accreditation.
The giant Orlando venue has been mentioned as a possible emergency field hospital and the state has used a convention center parking lot for its drivethrough virus testing program.
Tester will appear Thursday at a virtual forum for the meetings industry called “Brave New Business: The Future of Trade Shows and Event” that appears designed, in part, to tout the new accreditation process.
So far this year 27 shows canceled at the convention center for a combined estimated economic impact of $637.9 million, according to the center. And more than 20 other events postponed, delaying a impacted of $425.7 million.