Due to the current situation relating to the outbreak of Covid-19 Virus, the organisers of The Occupational Therapy Show would like to reassure all our exhibitors, visitors, staff and our many partners that we are closely monitoring the situation and, in cooperation with our venues, we will be taking all sensible steps to ensure that The Occupational Therapy Show proceeds safely and successfully.

You can all help us to have a safe and successful event by following the simple advice of the World Health Organization as you travel whilst attending crowded events such as The Occupational Therapy Show (organised by CloserStill Media).

• Wash your hands frequently with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand rub if your hands are not visibly dirty

• When coughing and sneezing, cover your mouth and nose with flexed elbow or tissue. Please discard the tissue immediately into a closed bin and clean your hands with alcohol-based hand rub or soap and water.

• Maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) of distance between yourself and other people, particularly those who are coughing, sneezing and have a fever.

• Physical contact has been shown to aid the transmission of Coronavirus. Several of our larger international clients have issued “handshake bans” within their organisations. Please do not be offended if somebody refuses to shake hands with you – they are taking sensible precautions and are likely to be following their own corporate guidelines.

• If you have mild respiratory symptoms and no recent travel history to China or other affected areas, please practice basic respiratory and hand hygiene and – ideally - stay at home until you have recovered. 

• Avoid travelling at all if you have a temperature or a cough or a sore throat

• Exhibitors, we also encourage you to take common-sense precautions on your stand

• Make sure tissues and hand sanitisers are available for your staff

• Ensure any staff members with any sort of cold symptoms do not attend the exhibition

• Keep all food areas very clean and tidy - make sure staff wash their hands before picking up any communal food (e.g. sandwich platter)

• PLEASE don’t offer unwrapped sweets or snacks on your stand

• We would prefer that you did not hand out general leaflets, pens etc for obvious reasons. Documentation can of course be available on stand.

We are carefully following government guidance, which, among other things, is to have good hand and respiratory hygiene and have introduced hand sanitisers at key locations around the show

We have also added signage regarding hygiene which will be in key locations around exhibition hall and the Show.

We are working with the NEC Birmingham and the statement of the steps they are taking can also be found on their website

At the NEC Birmingham there is a comprehensive daily cleaning schedule which includes monitoring of toilet facilities and of all public and event space on a frequent basis

The Venue also has a well-coordinated emergency management system in place at all times

We will continue to observe the situation and should Government advice change, or any additional precautions be advisable, we will react immediately and ensure this is communicated to all attendees and exhibitors.

Kindly note that we are also in the middle of influenza season, so please stay at home if you start feeling ill. 

You can see the WHO’s full advice to the public here:

WHO: Advice to the Public on Coronavirus

For those receiving shipments from China ahead of the The British Dental Conference and Dentistry Show, rest assured that the WHO has declared packages and mail items coming from China to be safe.

Also please remember: exposure to Coronavirus has nothing to do with what you look like—the only important factor is whether or not you were in an affected area. All visitors, exhibitors and contractors must be treated with respect.

Let’s make sure that the The Occupational Therapy Show is safe, enjoyable, and productive. 

Thank you for your understanding as we tackle this unexpected obstacle together, and we look forward to seeing you on 25th & 26th November 2020.