MMSI 2020 Canceled

Glamdring · July 6, 2020, 8:10pm

The email came out today, in case any were interested:

Hello Friends: The Military Miniature Society of Illinois is sorry to announce that we’ve been forced to cancel the 2020 Chicago Show.

The state of Illinois is progressing in getting Covid-19 under control, but we are now only in Phase Four of the reopening plan. If things go well (a big “if” at the moment), current restrictions will remain in effect in October. Moving into Phase Five will only occur if a vaccine is developed or no new cases emerge over a sustained period. Putting on a worthwhile Chicago Show under current guidelines is just too difficult and would bear no resemblance to past shows. The main stumbling block is that gatherings of more than 50 people are just not allowed.
Here is the wording from Gov. Pritzker’s office: “Meetings and events can resume with the lesser of up to 50 people OR 50% of overall room capacity. Multiple groups are permitted given facilities have space to appropriately social distance and can limit interaction between groups. This includes activities such as conferences and weddings.”
These restrictions mean that we can divide the hotel exhibition hall in two; one half would for the vendor’s area, the other for exhibits. This is what we essentially do now, but only 50 people would be allowed in either half; the two groups would not be allowed to mingle, and we would have to shift groups after an allotted amount of time. This is not impossible, but it would result in an extremely different, and we feel feel lesser, kind of show. Furthermore, we would not be allowed to have any vendors in the hallways, and there would be no hospitality suite or club dinner.
Many vendors and members have been in touch, and we appreciate your feedback in helping us make this decision. About a third of you said that with the current crisis, there’s no way you would come to the show, in whatever form it is held. About a third said you’d only consider coming if all safely precautions were in place and strictly enforced. And about a third expressed support for any kind of show we could mount. We thank you for your honest input and feedback. It has all been considered.
Working with this feedback and having an utmost concern for the health of all of our participants, plus knowing the Phase Four restrictions and enforced guidelines, the MMSI’s leadership team and show committee have made the decision to cancel the 2020 show. Right now, we’ll move all of our energies to making the 2021 Chicago Show a resounding success.
Please stay safe, and we look forward to seeing you in 2021, if not sooner. – The MMSI Show Committee

armornut · July 6, 2020, 8:59pm

Man 2020 is going to go down as the year NOTHING happened…except the pandemic.

the_Baron · July 7, 2020, 10:26am

No surprise.

Tojo72 · July 7, 2020, 2:20pm

Be a long time before I attend any indoor,shoulder to shoulder,crowded event anyway.Its sad and depressing.

Indoor dining

Ballgames

Crowded malls

Fairs

Museums

Aquariums

All scary right now.Not young anymore [:(]

armornut · July 7, 2020, 3:26pm

I have never been one for big crowds however I do enjoy my model club, and the occasional dinner out with my wife. While I do not crave social contact…being behind a mask or curbside is isolating to say the least.