Like many other small businesses, we were saddened to be required to shut down after our 2020-25th Anniversary Show. It meant that our 2021 In-Person Road Show had to be postponed. And it required us to look for new and different ways to keep our show relevant to our thousands of guests plus our hundreds of teachers and vendors.
While we appreciated the challenges and successes of our online quilt shows – Road@Home and Road@Home May, we were still anxiously waiting for the go-ahead to get back to what we do best: an In-Person Road.
Those guidelines began to come out from the State of California and the California Department of Health earlier this month. While they are sure to evolve and change right up to when the doors open for Road to California 2022, January 19-22, 2022, we can now safely project what our show will look like.
California State Guidelines
During the height of the pandemic, California was one of the most stringent States when it came to COVID-19 protocols. It has also been one of the last to release most of those guidelines. That is why it has taken Road so long to announce what a 2022 In-Person show will look like. We wanted to make sure we were given guidelines that would be manageable and safe for our guests, teachers, vendors, and employees.
On June 15, 2021, Road received its first set of opening guidelines for “Mega Events” like our show at the Ontario Convention Center. A lot has been discussed about these guidelines.
The most certain thing we can tell you is that whatever the policy is for today’s events, will be different by January.
The State has indicated that they will revisit these guidelines in September and make up-to-date recommendations at that time for Mega Events happening after October 1, 2021.
Whatever changes California may or may not make, you can rest assured that Road to California will be planning and working with the Ontario Convention Center on making sure that In-Person Road 2022 will be a safe and fun event for everyone.
What’s New, What’s The Same
One thing that won’t be different for In-Person Road 2022 is the same quality of teachers, classes, and vendors that our guests have come to expect. We started planning for In-Person Road using the framework for Road 2021, including allowing those who kept their class registrations from 2021 to attend their same choices whenever possible. Almost all our vendor booths are sold, which means excellent shopping opportunities for everyone.
Classes will still run Monday through Saturday during In-Person Road but the show days have changed. The show will run Wednesday through Saturday. The new hours for Road 2022 are Wednesday – Friday, 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM and on Saturday, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM. There will be no Saturday night or Sunday classes.
Preview Night will be held Tuesday, January 18th. New for In-Person Road 2022 is that Preview Night will include the quilt gallery AND the vendor hall. That means early shopping plus amazing show quilts!! VIP Entrance (for those who are attending classes) is from 5:00 – 6:00 PM. General Admission is from 6:00 – 8:30 PM.
Hotel Reservations for Road 2022 (as well as the new International Sewing Arts Festival) reopens July 1, 2021. The Ontario Convention Center staff reached out earlier to all attendees who had previously reserved rooms for Road 2021 through the Ontario Convention Visitors Bureau. For more information on hotel accommodations, please visit our website.
Our famous In-Person Road Quilt Contest is back. Entry information will be available starting July 1st on our website. In addition, the three quilt challenges intended for 2021, namely, The Twins Challenge, Conspiracy Challenge and 25th Anniversary Souvenir Fabric Challenge, will be sponsored in 2022.
And as always, Road is still requesting volunteers to help with various aspects of the show as well as for Guilds to showcase their Opportunity Quilts.
We are thrilled to be able to offer In-Person Road 2022 and look forward to seeing everyone January 19-22, 2022. Will you be there too?
With Road one month away I’d let me yo know what safety protocols will be in place with regard to covid 19.. masking? Limit ed numbers in classroom? Vendor mall which is usually packed??