ATA’s Technology & Maintenance Council (TMC) announced to its members that its signature Transportation Technology Exhibition will be held in-person during TMC’s 2021 Fall Meeting, scheduled for September 12-16 at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland in Cleveland, Ohio.
“Bringing trucking’s leading minds together to discuss important trends in technology and maintenance in the industry is an important part of TMC’s mission,” said Robert Braswell, executive director, TMC. “As we continue to monitor news related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we believe altering our plans for our 2021 events is the best and safest way to bring our industry together.”
Originally scheduled for March 8-11, the Council’s 2021 Annual Meeting & Transportation Technology Exhibition was moved by TMC and ATA leadership to April 12-15, while remaining in Orlando. However, continuing concerns over COVID-19 and corporate travel restrictions in the first half of 2021 have prompted TMC/ATA to restructure the format of the Council’s two main events — its Annual and Fall Meetings.
Accordingly:
- Instead of an in-person Annual Meeting, the Council will hold a virtual Spring Meeting without an exhibition component which will run for a two-week period April 12-23, at which TMC’s Task Forces, Study Groups, and other committees will meet to continue the business of the Council as well as offer a full slate of educational programming. All events held during TMC’s Spring Meeting will be conducted via the Cisco Webex interface.
- The Transportation Technology Exhibition will be held in-person during the Council’s 2021 Fall Meeting, already scheduled for September 12-16. The exhibition itself will open Monday, September 13 and run until Wednesday, September 15 during the 2021 Fall Meeting. The educational sessions originally scheduled for TMC’s 2021 Annual Meeting in most cases will be held during the 2021 Fall Meeting.
- Information about converting exhibit booths on the floor plan at the Orange County Convention Center to exhibit booths on the floor plan at the Huntington Convention Center of Cleveland will be sent to current contracted exhibitors in the near future.
- TMC will hold a scaled-down version of its National Technician Skills Competition — TMCSuperTech 2021 — during its 2021 Fall Meeting.
- TMC anticipates its event schedule will return to normal practice next year, when it holds its 2022 Annual Meeting & Transportation Technology Exhibition March 7-10 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando.
TMC/ATA leadership is excited for the prospect of continuing to hold their exhibition in-person in 2021 and continuing the work of the Council as safely as possible, the groups stated. TMC/ATA leadership stated that the groups will continue to closely monitor conditions around the country and will make adjustments to their programs as the situation warrants.
Registration information for TMC’s 2021 Spring Meeting (virtual), and in-person Fall Meeting will be made available shortly via the Council’s event microsites and websites. Those already registered for TMC’s 2021 Annual Meeting will have their registrations automatically applied to TMC’s 2021 Fall Meeting & Transportation Technology Exhibition to be held in Cleveland, Ohio, September 12-16. Those who cannot attend the fall event may contact TMC for other options, such as applying those funds to TMC’s Spring Meeting or requesting a refund.
