Read the Safety Statement for the 2022 MACo Summer Conference

MACo’s 2022 Summer Conference is scheduled for August 17-20 at the Roland Powell Convention Center in Ocean City, MD. It is a completely in-person event, where participants from all levels of government and the private sector will be discussing the best practices and ways to work together to help businesses in the wake of the pandemic.

MACo Statement on Safety Protocols for the 2022 Summer Conference:

The health and safety of our community, staff, and event attendees is MACo’s highest priority.

As we continue to monitor guidance related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other organizations, we are committed to taking appropriate precautions to provide a safe environment that does not place our staff or event attendees at undue risk. At this time, the CDC has not indicated in any way that organizations in the United States should consider postponing or canceling events and the COVID-19 Community Level for Worcester County, MD, is medium.

As a precautionary measure, MACo is actively working with the conference venue (the Roland Powell Convention Center) to increase sanitization practices and healthy habits for all events. For more information on best practices for prevention, please visit the CDC coronavirus (COVID-19) web page.

At this time, MACo announces the following safety measures in effect for the August 17-20, 2022, Summer Conference – these measures may be updated based on changing conditions, and MACo will notify all participants accordingly:

  • MACo strongly recommends that attendees wear masks indoors – regardless of vaccination status. At this time, local guidelines do not require the wearing of masks indoors, but MACo joins all public health entities in recognizing that mask-wearing is effective in reducing exposure and risk.
    We strongly recommend and encourage mask-wearing indoors at the MACo Summer Conference.
  • MACo further recommends that attendees review the most recent information from the CDC and other public health authorities in preparing for their participation.
  • There are no limitations on the number of conference participants, but ONLY registered participants (attendees, exhibitors, speakers/moderators, registered spouses/personal guests) will be allowed past the registration kiosks in the Convention Center.
  • All participants are asked to self-monitor for the symptoms of COVID-19 listed on the CDC website, including a fever of 100.4 or higher, flu-like symptoms, new loss of taste and/or smell, and we ask that participants exercise extreme caution by not participating in the conference or interacting with conference guests if experiencing any potential symptoms.
  • Social distancing in all areas of the venue is encouraged and recommended – room and space layouts will be optimized to facilitate distancing.
  • Diligent hand hygiene is strongly recommended – hand sanitizer stations will be placed throughout the venue, and MACo suggests foregoing handshakes.
  • Visible safety signage and social distancing reminders will be posted throughout the building.
  • No children are allowed in the Convention Center except for designated events – the Kids’ Party on Thursday and the Crab Feast on Friday, both requiring advance registration. Children are not allowed in the exhibit hall.
  • MACo is striving for a “paper-light” event to reduce touch-points at the conference – there will be no speaker handouts and MACo will print a limited number of program booklets, instead focusing on an event mobile app for additional materials and session schedule. PLEASE BRING A MOBILE DEVICE and your charger – a charging station will also be provided in the main foyer.
  • Refunds of conference registration fees will be granted in full if an attendee chooses to cancel their registration due to possible exposure prior to the event, potential symptoms prior to or at the event, or general discomfort with attending the conference due to changing COVID conditions.
  • MACo reminds participants that hotels and other providers of accommodations or food/beverage in Ocean City are NOT part of MACo’s Summer Conference registration – we urge you to check with your hotel or accommodation provider for their safety measures and cancellation policies, as these are not under MACo’s control; we also urge participants to exercise caution in attending offsite events, recognizing that there is increased exposure to the public at these venues.

Given the evolving nature of COVID-19, MACo will continue to closely monitor developments. In addition to safeguarding the health and safety of our event attendees and employees, we remain committed to providing clear and timely communications leading up to and at our events. Should we receive information from the CDC or local authorities that would prompt us to make adjustments to our event schedule, we will immediately notify all affected parties via email and post regular updates on our website.

More information on MACo’s Summer Conference is available on our website.