The International Housewares Association (IHA) has partnered with Epistemix, a data science company that has built computational models to help identify the risk of putting on events in specific locations and employ appropriate mitigation techniques to reduce the threat of Covid-19.
Using epidemiological, demographic, sociological and behavioral data across various subsets of the population, Epistemix can project the expected Covid-19 case occurrence in a given group of individuals gathered during a specific period of time, with high degrees of accuracy.
“The health and safety of our community is of utmost importance to IHA. Leading up to The Inspired Home Show 2022, we want attendees, exhibitors, IHA staff and the city of Chicago to have the peace of mind that we’re keeping their health a top priority,” IHA president and CEO, Derek Miller said.
“Partnering with Epistemix and using their projections to identify risk levels and appropriate mitigation protocols will ensure that we have a safe and productive Show.”
Epistemix is working with IHA to simulate scenarios and probable outcomes related to the expected spread of Covid-19 through March based on the expected number of attendees, number of exhibitors, average age of attendees, vaccination coverage of attendees, the vaccination coverage in Chicago and other factors.
Results from their research will help IHA determine protocols that may be implemented at the Show, including face masks and proof of vaccination or negative Covid test. The Show will also follow Covid rules imposed by the city of Chicago and state of Illinois.
“Chicago currently is around 75% resilient to Covid-19 due to vaccination coverage and immunity from prior infections; and that number will be increasing between now and The Inspired Home Show,” Epistemix CEO, John Cordier said.
“This means that with appropriate mitigation strategies at The Inspired Home Show, IHA can allow exhibitors and attendees to gather without increasing the risk of becoming infected. The city of Chicago is currently decreasing in cases, but cases are likely to increase again later in the fall due to seasonal factors. However, cases are projected to sharply decline in the months prior to the opening of The Inspired Home Show.”
IHA will announce appropriate protocols for The Inspired Home Show 2022 in mid-January.
The Inspired Home Show will be held from 5 March to 8 March 2022 at Chicago’s McCormick Place Complex. For more information about the 2022 Show and to register for a Show badge, please visit TheInspiredHomeShow.com.