SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, July 4, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Organizers of the FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention say the prospects of the September 2020 event actually taking place appear “bleak.”
In a statement released Friday, FanX put its followers on notice, saying the popular venue was in a state of uncertainty due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
“Unless we see a significant reduction in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the next couple of weeks, we do not feel it is in the best interest of the community and the attendees for us to continue with the plan to have the event this year,” the statement said. “Keeping the safety of everyone at the event is always our top priority.”
This year’s FanX is scheduled for Sept. 17 through 19.
Attendance for past events has averaged 100,000-plus. The jam-packed indoor venue is exactly the type of environment health experts say people need to avoid to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.
While FanX organizers have yet to officially spike the convention, they gave fans the heads-up on what to expect in terms of possible ticket exchanges or refunds. They also addressed concerns over canceling hotel reservations.
Despite the gloomy forecast, FanX planners said they are “working with health professionals to take as many safety precautions as possible” should the convention proceed as planned.
“We are still preparing details of what this might look like for attendees, and we will continue to monitor COVID-19 best practices at that time for events,” the FanX statement said.
The entire statement is as follows:
Dear FanX Community,
The FanX® staff, much like the attendees, looks forward to all our events all year long. We never fathomed we would be in such a state of uncertainty for this year’s event because of a global pandemic. With the recent rise of Utah’s COVID-19 cases, the possibility of having the event this September and meeting again with our FanX family is looking bleak. Unless we see a significant reduction in the number of new COVID-19 cases in the next couple of weeks, we do not feel it is in the best interest of the community and the attendees for us to continue with the plan to have the event this year. Keeping the safety of everyone at the event is always our top priority.
We have had several attendees asking what will happen with tickets if we do not have the event this year. We will automatically roll-over your FanX® 2020 ticket and perks to the FanX® 2021 event. If you are unable to attend the 2021 event, we will allow you to use the tickets for another future event or gift them to another party. If none of these options work, you can contact customer support where we will work with you to find another solution. If FanX® is not held this year and you have already made reservations at one of the official FanX® hotels, they will allow you to cancel any reservations you have up to 72 hours prior to your reservation date. Please contact the hotel with any changes or questions.
In the case that we are able to have FanX® in September 2020, we are preparing to have plenty of safety features in effect and are working with health professionals to take as many safety precautions as possible. We are still preparing details of what this might look like for attendees, and we will continue to monitor COVID-19 best practices at that time for events.
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