2. Health & Safety Plan

Personal Accountability Commitment

Providing a safer environment for our event participants is a top priority. Achieving this goal is a shared responsibility. By attending AFCEA’s 2021 TechNet Augusta Conference, you agree to abide by and engage in conduct that is beneficial to health and safety. This includes, but is not limited to:

• complying with local, state and venue regulations.
• engaging in appropriate physical distancing.
• not attending the event if you feel ill or have been recently exposed to COVID-19.
• not attending if you have not been vaccinated.

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Venue

As part of Marriott International's family of brands, the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center has implemented new protocols and elevated practices in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The protocols are in keeping with Marriott’s high standards of cleanliness, safety, and commitment to providing excellent service.

The convention center will increase sanitization of high contact surfaces and traffic areas. Additional venue information available here: https://whattoexpect.marriott.com/agsmc and https://clean.marriott.com/.

Face Coverings

• All event staff, vendors, attendees, exhibitors, volunteers, guests, and other conference participants are required to wear facial coverings when indoors or outdoors at all conference facilities during conference activities, other than when actively eating or drinking or when on-stage speaking.
  • Conference facilities include:
    • Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center
    • Georgia Cyber Center
    • Conference Busses
• All conference participants are strongly encouraged to wear a facial covering at all times when in a crowded setting during non-conference hours.
• Please bring your own facial covering. A limited supply will be available onsite; inquire at registration.

Vaccinations

• If you are unvaccinated, we ask that you not attend TechNet Augusta.
• All government and military conference participants from Fort Gordon will be fully vaccinated.

On-Site Medical

Vendor staff trained in first aid will be on-site in the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center and will be able to assist conference participants as needed. Additionally, an isolation area will be provided for individuals who feel ill or experience symptoms of COVID-19 and who are unable to immediately leave the conference.

Hand Sanitizer

Hand sanitizer will be available to conference participants.

Registration Badges

• Please register in advance online. We strongly discourage on-site registration to support physical distancing and to avoid creating lines. Online registration will remain open throughout the event. If you are unsure of advance plans, register online when you decide, before arriving at the Augusta Marriott.
• Multiple touchless check-in areas for badge pickup will be positioned at key venue entrances to the venue. A full-service registration area will be available and located away from the badge pickup stations, where attendees can make needed registration changes, such as adding lunch tickets, or badge updates.
• Registration staff will be available on-site to accommodate changes and badge updates.

Exhibit Hall

• AFCEA will increase the number of aisles in the exhibit hall, as feasible, to reduce congestion, improve traffic flow between booths to accommodate physical distancing.
• Hand sanitizer will be available.
• The exhibit hall will undergo a nightly cleaning.

Exhibitor Best Practices and Readiness

AFCEA will provide best practices for exhibitors on how to maintain adequate physical distancing in their booths. These include but are not limited to the following:

• Requiring facial coverings by all booth personnel while indoors per current CDC and DoD guidance.
• Using open booth designs or creating a restricted area to limit groups congregating in one area.
• Planning booth traffic patterns to allow for open entry and exit points.
• Cleaning high-touch surfaces multiple times throughout the day.
• Utilizing floor marking or seating to encourage adequate physical distancing.
• Providing hand sanitizer for booth personnel and attendees.
• If serving food, working with the Augusta Marriott, the exclusive catering provider for TechNet Augusta, to ensure proper food safety.

Hotels

Hotels that implemented enhanced rigorous cleanliness protocols were identified for AFCEA's hotel block. Learn more about the global programs these popular hotel chains have introduced to ensure guests enjoy a cleaner stay:

Marriott | Hilton | Hyatt

Augusta

The Augusta Convention & Visitors Bureau is actively monitoring developments surrounding the coronavirus as the safety and health of visitors are their top priority. Hospitality partners throughout Augusta are implementing new and enhanced procedures to safeguard guests.

You can learn more about Augusta’s COVID-19 health and safety procedures here.

Georgia

Current State of Georgia COVID guidelines are available here.

CDC

• Current CDC guidance on Safer Activities for both Vaccinated and Unvaccinated individuals is available here.
• Current CDC guidance for Vaccinated individuals is available here.
• Current CDC guidance for Unvaccinated individuals is available here.

FAQs

Will AFCEA require negative COVID-19 tests from attendees, exhibitor personnel and staff?

No, the CDC does not recommend testing all attendees and staff before allowing them to enter. Testing all event attendees and staff for COVID-19 before allowing them to enter the venue has not been systematically studied. It is unknown if entry testing at event venues provides any additional reduction in person-to-person transmission of the virus beyond what would be expected with other preventive measures (such as physical distancing, wearing cloth face coverings, hand washing, enhanced cleaning and disinfection).

Will AFCEA conduct temperature screening of attendees, exhibitor personnel and staff?

No, AFCEA will not conduct daily temperature screens. The CDC recommends conducting self-health checks for symptoms daily, and in accordance with any applicable privacy laws and regulations. The COVID-19 Symptom List will be included in event communications and posted on event signage. Attendees, exhibitor personnel and staff are asked to stay home, or in their hotel room, if they do not feel well or have any of the following symptoms: fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea. More details about symptoms of coronavirus can be found at Symptoms of Coronavirus | CDC.

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