Origins Game Fair 2022 Preview Is Live; Masks No Longer Required at the Show

Please be aware that we have not made this decision lightly and believe that it is the prudent course of action to reflect where we currently are with the goal of having a safe and productive show for our exhibitors and sponsors.

Please be aware that we will continue our policy that all attendees and partners who are eligible to be vaccinated, do so and provide proof of vaccination to attend the convention. Photo or the actual card are acceptable. You will need to have received you second dose of the Pfizer, Moderna, or AstraZeneca vaccine or the single Johnson & Johnson vaccine by May 24, 2022, to be admitted to enter.

Most of the attendees at Origins drive to the show from the states around Ohio. And it was becoming clear that the mask mandate was discouraging many of them to attend. I prefer masks and will wear mine, as least to keep the con crud down if nothing else. But in this part of the Midwest, people are not wearing masks in everyday life. Many of our past attendees have been very vocal about why it didn’t make sense to require masks if none of the hotels, restaurants or shops around the convention were doing likewise. And to be honest I cannot fault their logic.

My primary job with Origins is to make sure our exhibitors, many of whom are our members, have a safe, productive and profitable show. They spend a lot of money to attend the show and I want to make it a good investment of their time, energy, and money by having as many attendees as possible to discover and buy their products... Therefore I believe that requiring proof of vaccination is a more effective safety measure than masks, which are often worn improperly or not at all. I agreed that wearing N95/KN95 masks and vaccines are the best way forward for a B2B show like GAMA EXPO, but for a consumer show like Origins I have to meet our attendees where they are, and by and large that is not wearing masks.

[B]ecause we understand that some exhibitors would not be comfortable with this decision, we extended the roll-over period for exhibitors till May 11, which is two weeks after we notified them and three weeks prior to the show. We have had a few exhibitors elect to rollover and that we support that as its [sic] what is best for their teams. However, at the end of the day I have do what I believe is the best for the other exhibitors to make sure I can get at many attendees as possible to at the show.

Will this change make some people decide to stay home? Yes, I am sure it will. I also believe that it is the best course forward to make sure those who decide to come at the last minute have one less reason to stay away.