Nationwide Marketing Group announced today that it is moving PrimeTime, its bi-annual business conference and trade show for independent retailers originally scheduled for August 2020, to later in the year. The event will now be held Oct. 18-21, 2020, at the Venetian / Sands Expo Convention Center in Las Vegas.

“Our Member Experience team has spent a lot of time during the past two months talking with members and vendor partners about their business operations in the wake of coronavirus – including their thoughts about PrimeTime,” says Tom Hickman, Nationwide’s president and chief member advocate. “And what we’ve heard time and time again is that they want to come to PrimeTime. They want to network with their peers. They want to learn from each other. They want to take part in world-class educational opportunities. And we want that, too. But due to the restrictions currently in place, we felt that it was in everyone’s best interests to delay PrimeTime until October.

“Moving PrimeTime to October provides us with several benefits, including more time to fine-tune safety protocols and better inventory opportunities from our vendor partners,” Hickman adds. “But, most importantly, it is simply the right thing to do.”

Melissa Stenson, Nationwide’s vice president of member experience who oversees PrimeTime, says the Venetian has crafted a comprehensive reopening plan that includes more frequent cleaning protocols and social distancing requirements to protect guests against coronavirus. The Nationwide team will work closely with the Venetian staff to implement these protocols for PrimeTime attendees.

“The health and safety of our members, our vendors and our employees are paramount,” Stenson says. “We will continue to follow the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local authorities as it relates to mass gatherings and look forward to welcoming the Nationwide network to Las Vegas in October.”

The group is also exploring additional opportunities for PrimeTime to accommodate members who either cannot travel or are wary of attending an in-person event, including a potential virtual component for Nationwide Learning Academy sessions and trade show visits, and longer buying windows. More information will be shared as it becomes available.

For more information, visit www.nationwideprimetime.com.