NEWPORT – Rhode Island’s event organizers have been under duress as they make plans while navigating the shifting sands of a changing COVID-19 pandemic, as new strains of the virus, such as the delta variant, have spread across the nation.
With the state’s transmission rate at a high level, with hundreds of new cases per day, as reported by the R.I. Department of Health, it is a concern for local organizers as they weigh what could be an impact on tourism, driving traffic away from events that were hoping to operate after being shuttered a year ago.
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Newport rode the wave of optimism, as the state relaxed its COVID-19 guidelines with the infection rates declining heading into the summer. But with transmission rates increasing, Newport seemed to have dodged a bullet while playing host to its marquee outdoor summer events, as none became infection hotspots.
That’s according to Evan Smith, CEO and president of Discover Newport, the city’s tourism organization, who said that there were no known hotspots in Newport as a result of large gatherings.
“Thank goodness we didn’t have a hotspot as a result of an event – at least none that have been traceable to event,” he said. “And no one has come forward to say they were positive.”
The International Tennis Hall of Fame hosted its Hall of Fame Open at 100% capacity without incident in July, while the Newport Folk and Jazz Festival operated safely using a six-day format instead of its typical three-day format to spread out its crowds, he said.
In East Providence, the Rhode Island Folk Festival will be hosting a one-day event on August 29 using three large stages at Rose Larisa State Park after being dark a year ago. Ken Abrams, vice president of the festival, said that face masks will be recommended for that event, but not required.
“We’re pretty confident we’ll have a safe event,” he said. “We’re following the CDC and the state’s guidelines in holding this event.”
Abrams anticipates about 500 people will be in attendance and spaced six feet apart for the folk festival, which is in its seventh year. He said the folk festival was aware of the increasing infection rate.
Abrams attended the Newport Folk Festival in late July and said, “Very few people were masked.” A few days later, for the Jazz Festival, he said, about a third of the audience was wearing masks.
He also said he was aware that the band The Foo Fighters is requiring fans to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test result within 48 hours of attending their concerts. “From big shows to small shows things seem to be moving in that direction,” Abrams said. “I think that’s going to be the case pretty much everywhere in the next few weeks.”
In Providence, WaterFire will be returning for its lighting of the braziers from September to December, thanks to Gov. Daniel J. McKee, and the Rhode Island Commerce Corp. and the city of Providence, who pitched in $150,000 each to fund the event. WaterFire Providence is known for drawing large crowds during its event.
Peter Mello, managing director and co-CEO of WaterFire Providence, said, “We are in uncharted territory. It’s really difficult to plan under such dynamic circumstances. It’s been tough. It’s a monumental challenge to plan an event like this.”
Mello said the organization is following the CDC and state’s health updates while making plans for this year’s event, and discusses its plans with the city of Providence.
WaterFire Providence will be encouraging the wearing of masks, said Mello. Three weeks ago, he said, the organization began wearing masks indoors at the WaterFire Center, a place that has seen no known infections while operating its programming.
Mello said WaterFire Providence is exploring ways to make things safer. “We have thoughts about having to do things differently,” he said, noting that he would not disclose those plans. “We are adaptable and resilient.”
“We need to fill the hotel rooms,” Mello said. “We know our job.”
The story is the same in Newport for Smith, who managed to keep Discover Newport afloat during the pandemic. He said event organizers have been faced with making exhaustive preparations.
“Proper preparation goes beyond luck,” he said, noting that organizers have to deal with a changing environment weekly due to virus unpredictability.
Smith said threat of the delta variant is playing a negative role in Newport’s meetings and conventions market. About 25% of organizers have pushed their dates further out, he said.
“The delta variant has caused some conferences to be postponed for now,” Smith said. “Just when we were beginning to see a little defrosting with that market, the delta variant has dimmed it.”
Kristen Adamo, CEO and president of the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau, said she has not seen a significant loss of convention and meeting business. The JLC Live residential construction show was the first event to return to the Rhode Island Convention Center last week, she said.
“The event went smoothly and we got great feedback from the local restaurant community,” she said. “So, we are cautiously optimistic. We know that groups won’t be meeting at pre-COVID levels, but even a portion of our normal business will be an economic relief to our hotels.”
Adamo said the Convention & Visitors Bureau and the team at the Rhode Island Convention Center are in close contact with the Department of Health and will follow any mandates that are implemented.
Smith said he is doing the same in Newport, and credits event organizers for having to make tough decisions with their planning. “They did a really good job in light of the fact that the playing field kept changing again, and again, and again,” he said.
As for the impending winter, Smith said organizers of the month-long Christmas in Newport event plan to move forward as scheduled. That event, in its 51st year, kicks off on December 1.
Meanwhile, David Rosenberg, who is the founder of the 32-year-old Newport Winter Festival, said he is in a quandary about whether to go forward with hosting the festival, which is scheduled for February 18-27 of 2022.
“Three weeks ago we were planning to hold the event,” he said. “Now we don’t know what to do. We’re at a standstill. So, we’re in a wait-and-see mode, as I want to hold the event safely.”
Rosenberg said the Newport Winter Festival is a 10-day event featuring different functions in hotels that attracts thousands of people.
Rosenberg said that with the influx of crowds he does not want a repeat of what happened during a July 10 music concert at a New Bedford pub where 39 people contracted COVID.
“We pack hotel ballrooms and I would hate to turn people away,” he said. “We are dedicated to this event and we want to make it happen.”
Cassius Shuman is a PBN staff writer. Contact him at Shuman@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter @CassiusShuman.
