IEEE MTT-S IMS2020 transition to Virtual Event FAQ

IMS has transitioned from a face-to-face event to a virtual event as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. What does that mean to exhibitors that had signed up for a booth and sponsorship at IMS2020 in Los Angeles?

IMS2020 Virtual Booth Training Videos:

IMS2020  ► Your Virtual Booth, Part 1: Registration & Customization
IMS2020  ► Your Virtual Booth, Part 2: Managing Your Booth
IMS2020  ► Your Virtual Booth, Part 3: Messages, Meetings & Other Features

• What is the refund policy for the IMS2020 physical exhibition?

Section 10 “Inability to Perform” clause of the exhibition contract governs the refund policy for booth space, sponsorships, advertisements and meeting rooms. The clause is as follows:

10. INABILITY TO PERFORM If IMS should be prevented from holding the exhibition by any cause beyond its control (such as fires, strikes, Acts of God, etc.) or if it cannot permit the exhibitor to occupy his space due to circumstances beyond its control, The Management will refund to the exhibitor the amount of the licensing fee paid by them, less a proportionate share of the exhibition expenses, and IMS shall have no further obligation or liability to the exhibitor. If the exhibitor shall have made no license payment, they nevertheless shall be obligated to pay their proportionate share of such expenses.

The critical piece of this clause is that exhibitors are entitled to a refund less a proportionate share of the exhibition expenses. The IMS team is working with IEEE, the event insurance underwriter, and the Steering Committee to sort through what the exhibition expenses, if any, will be. As you can imagine, this will take some time determine exactly what this means to the exhibitors. Exhibitors will be notified soon with the timeline and process for issuing refunds. In the meantime, exhibitors may want to plan to apply a portion of their refund to the newly created Virtual Event.

RFIC and IMS sponsorships are included under the above guidelines and refunds will be issued based on a proportionate share of the exhibition expenses.

• How do I cancel my booth staff and/or conference registrations?

Booth Staff registrations will be automatically cancelled. Conference registrations made using the exhibitor discount codes will be refunded or transferred to the virtual event.

• Can funds paid for IMS2020 booth and sponsorships be pushed forward to IMS2021?

Based on IEEE protocols, IMS2020 and IMS2021 are being treated as independent events and funds paid to IMS2020 will not be transferred to IMS2021. Exhibitors will receive a refund based on the guidelines in clause 10 of the Exhibition contract and plan their 2021 participation separately as would normally be the case. Details on IMS2021 will be provided by the IMS2021 Exhibition Contractor.

• What about refunds from exclusive and recommended vendors?

Refunds from the exclusive and recommended vendors are handled by each respective vendor and follow the refund policies established by those vendors. IMS has made every effort to encourage those vendors to issue full refunds, however, as third-party contractors they set their own policies. Please contact all vendors you’ve ordered services from to discuss order cancellations and refunds.

The IMS Exclusive and Recommended Service providers are:

• Freeman – General Services Contractor
• Levy – Exclusive Catering services at the Los Angeles Convention Center
• Aventri – Lead Retrieval services
• SmartCity – Exclusive Networking and communications at the Los Angeles Convention Center
• Presentation Technologies – Audio/Visual equipment provider
• Lyle Photos – Photography services
• Short Term Plant Rental – Floral and plant rental
• United Security – Booth security and monitoring

Any non-exclusive/recommended contractors you use should be contacted as soon as possible regarding cancelling of services.

For exhibitors who have booked housing through the IMS Housing Bureau, all reservations will be automatically cancelled, credit cards will not be charged, and no action is required on your part. If you have booked directly with a hotel or through a third-party service (Hotels.com, Expedia, etc.) then you will need to work through those booking agencies to initiate any refunds.

• What will the IMS Virtual Event look like?

The IMS exhibition is a crucial venue to announce new products, promote brands, rekindle current relationships and build new ones. With this in mind we are developing a virtual exhibition to facilitate the benefits of a face-to-face trade show optimized for online interaction.

The Virtual Exhibition platform is under evaluation with the following criteria meant to support the exhibitor experience:

• Sponsorship options
• Company Information Presentation:
  
  • Exhibitor options/requirements
  • Company information
  • Product categories
• Lead generation
• Ability to “Office hours” for live interaction
• Timeline for implementation
• Media content (logos, videos, product sheets, etc.)
• Exhibitor grouping (5G Pavilion, Startup Pavilion, Society Booth)
• Ability for Companies to present MicroApp presentation
• Industry Workshops – TBD

The platform is expected to be finalized by mid-May and all details will be made available as soon as IMS has them.

• IMS2021 Planning

IMS2021 is still on schedule for 6-11 June 2021 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, GA. There will be a change in Event and Exhibition Management for IMS2021-2023, which came as the result of an MTT-S directed rebid process. The Exhibition Manager for IMS2021 is Horizon House, which is the publisher of Microwave Journal and Exhibit Manager for European Microwave Week. Exhibitors will be contacted directly by Horizon House with details on 2021 participation.