Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
IMC Reopens with New Safety Guidelines
June 9,
2020 by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry 
With guidance from health and elected officials as well a top epidemiologist, International Market Centers (IMC) is re-opening its campuses in Atlanta, High Point and Las Vegas with new safety mitigants and operational protocols.
AmericasMart Atlanta opened yesterday, June 8; and the Atlanta Decorative Arts Center (ADAC), IMC’s High Point Properties and World Market Center Las Vegas will reopen June 15. Access to the campuses, which have been restricted to tenants, staff and buyers by appointment-only in compliance with government orders, will be open to the trade so long as IMC’s health and safety protocols are observed.
“Health and safety remain top of mind as we move to reopen our campuses,” said Bob Maricich, IMC CEO. “We strongly believe that we all have a duty to operate with an abundance of caution to help curb the spread of this virus, and we have worked diligently to find the appropriate balance between protecting the health of our IMC team members, our customers and our communities, while also helping our customers and our industries return to business.”
Access to the campuses is governed by IMC’s Together Safely Master Plan which details procedures for its facilities, staff, customers and third-party vendors through a four-phase reopening. For the resumption of open-year-round buying, IMC has developed new contactless registration procedures and is now requiring the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) while on campus. Physical mitigants include expanded sanitization policies and the implementation of social distancing and traffic control measures.
Together Safely was created by a cross-functional team of IMC staff and vetted by state and municipal officials and an epidemiologist from the School of Medicine and Rollins School of Public Health of Emory University in Atlanta. It is a living document that will be revisited, reviewed, and revised on an ongoing basis as developments in the impact of COVID-19 may require. The full 30-page Together Safely plan is available at TogetherSafely.com as a reference for buyers and a guide for tenants as they develop their own procedures.
Last week, in connection with the circumstances surrounding the death of George Floyd, there were protests and riots in downtown Atlanta and Las Vegas. World Market Center Las Vegas was unharmed, but some minor damage was sustained at AmericasMart (specifically, storefronts at Ray’s in the City and Wells Fargo). The buildings have been secured and all affected areas have been cleaned up. All IMC campuses will be ready for their reopenings this week and next week.