REVISED_11.10_OrlandoWorldCetnerMarriottProtocols
The Annual National Workers’ Compensation Conference Begins – “Sort of”
The Annual Workers’ Compensation Conference has officially begun. Because of the changed dates of the conference (December 11-15, 2021) and the fact that the new dates conflicted with final exam dates for law school students participating in the National Moot Court Workers’ Compensation Competition, the initial rounds of the competition were held virtually (November 13-14, 2021). The final competition is scheduled in person for January 7, 2022 at the Florida 1st District Court of Appeal’s courtroom in Tallahassee, Florida. The live Moot Court Competition can be viewed by referring to the court’s website.
The Workers’ Compensation Institute is extremely proud and appreciative of the support that our conference has had from past participants/exhibitors/sponsors for the past two years of Covid uncertainty. Many changes have been required in the organization of the conference, all of which having been understood by the majority of our supporters. Early indications would strongly suggest that our numbers of attendees at the conference this year will remain basically the same as in pre-Covid years – conference attendee pre-registration for this year is basically the same; the host hotel and two overflow hotels are significantly full; record numbers are participating in our GKTW support, the golf tournament sponsored by Kids Chance of Florida is, for the first time, sold out; meeting space for auxiliary meetings at the conference hotel are full; new program offerings such as those related to diversity, equality and inclusion, and cybersecurity have brought new excitement.
WCI has committed to a continued emphasis on providing a safe environment for conference attendees. “The Marriott launched its Global Cleanliness Council including experts from the field of medicine and public health to supplement . . . its . . . reputation of cleanliness. . . . Additionally, the company developed 200+ cleaning protocols throughout each stop of our guests’ journey at the conference . . . .” (See the above PDF to review The Marriott Cleaning Standards.) For further enhancement of hotel safety, it should be noted that the Marriott will be “cashless.” For hotel outlets that used to take cash such as the front desk, valet, food outlets/bars, banquet cash bars, and concessions, the hotel will be able to handle only room charges, credit/debit cards, and Apple pay.
WCI purposely changed the conference dates to December in order to allow as much out-of- doors participation in the conference events as possible, adding to the emphasis on safety. We are committed to CDC Guidelines to ensure safety as well as the extraordinary requirements of safety standards for the children at GKTW. Large conference events like the GKTW Gala and conference sponsored receptions will be outside as much as possible this year. Attendee marketing receptions are likewise being scheduled outside. The usual conference Health Fair has been dramatically expanded to include Covid-19 vaccinations (by appointment only), flu vaccines, glucose, total cholesterol, metabolic analyzers, tanita scale, sleep apnea screening, cardio coordination, functional movement screens, and other health tests.
In short, everyone associated with the conference is trying their best to make this year’s events safe and “the best ever.” Face protections by attendees are recommended but not required. We look forward to seeing everyone, understanding that we are “better together.”