Steel Products

2021 SMU Steel Summit Conference: Protocols & More

Written by John Packard

May 18, 2021

The 2021 SMU Steel Summit Conference already has more than 400 executives registered to attend representing more than 150 companies. We are anticipating a full house when the conference opens on Aug. 23 at the Georgia International Convention Center next to the Atlanta International Airport (ATL).

We know there are many of you who have been waiting for guidance from the CDC and from SMU on what protocols will be in place at the time of the event. With this being our first in-person event in almost two years, we want it to be as comfortable and safe as humanly possible. Here are some of the answers to your questions:

COVID-19 Protocols at Georgia International Convention Center (GICC)

  • The GICC is requiring everyone in the convention center to wear masks. SMU is bound by the rules issued by the GICC.
  • The GICC requires 3 feet of separation. For SMU this means we will most likely use classroom style seating and not group chairs in the back rows as we have done in the past. This may limit the attendance for the event (we are checking on that now to see what the maximum number of attendees will be for the 2021 conference).
  • We have expanded the size of the exhibition area and spread out the displays.

Proof of Vaccination Not Required

  • SMU will not require proof that you have been vaccinated and we will not have a testing facility for COVID prior to entering the convention center. We strongly encourage everyone to be vaccinated as a way of limiting risk for all attendees.

Name Tags to Identify Your Accessibility

  • SMU will provide name tag options, which will assist you by displaying your level of comfort with close contact with other attendees. We continue to work on this feature, but the idea is to have a color-coded system (example: green stripe means you are OK with close physical contact, red stripe means no contact please).

Food Service Will Not Be Self-Serve

  • Coffee, breaks, lunch and cocktail parties will have servers at the stations to limit the amount of direct contact attendees will have with food that may be served to others.

The 2021 SMU Steel Summit Conference Will be a “Hybrid” Event

  • The conference will be an in-person event to be held at the Georgia International Convention Center in Atlanta, Georgia
  • We will offer an online version (at the same price as the live event) for those who cannot travel. The online version will allow you to view the presentations in real time.
  • The online platform will be available to those who attend in person. This will allow you to view the attendee list, interact with both online and in-person attendees, sponsors, exhibitors, etc.

We will have many more details regarding the online version of the conference in early June.

Conference Hotels Filling Up

Hotels: Beware of hotel scams as we do NOT have a room block. If you receive unsolicited hotel booking and rate information, it is not from us, and we recommend you stay away from these kind of booking agencies. You would be best served to book with one of the following hotels, which are located next to the Georgia International Convention Center:

For more information about the conference, program, speakers, list of companies attending, costs to attend and how to register, please click here.

John Packard

Read more from John Packard

Latest in Steel Products