A new requirement issued this week by the City of Boston has implications for the upcoming Seafood Expo North America (SENA) in March.

Starting on Jan. 15, individuals will be required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 in order to enter certain indoor spaces in the city, including convention centers and exhibition halls. People working in those locations will also be required to have received their vaccines.

Show attendees, exhibitors, vendors and staff will also be required to wear a mask indoors.

SENA is scheduled for the Boston Convention Center March 13-15.

"With many things changing in the world right now, we want to assure you that as we continue to plan for Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America in Boston, the health and safety of our exhibitors, attendees, sponsors, speakers and staff is our top priority," show organizers Diversified Communications posted on the SENA website.

The show was canceled in 2020 and 2021, but at this point is expected to take place this year.

Currently, Diversified Communications lists approximately 425 seafood companies and roughly 220 processing firms that are planning to exhibit at this year's SENA event. In 2019, the show attracted 1,329 exhibitors spread over 256,690 net square feet of exhibit space.

The March show in Boston will quickly be followed by the organizer's seafood show in Barcelona.

The company claimed in a November press release that Seafood Expo Global (SEG) is to date larger than any previous editions of the seafood trade show, which has traditionally been held in Brussels but will be relocated to Barcelona in 2020. That show and the 2021 version of the event were canceled.

"Five months ahead of the 2022 edition, the organization has already sold 41,985 square meters of exhibit space, an increase of 3.3 percent over 2019, the largest edition since its inception," Diversified Communications said in November.

In the past, SEG attracted 29,000 global seafood professionals and more than 2,000 exhibiting companies from 89 countries, the company said.

“Going into 2022, we understand the situation with COVID-19 can be volatile and that companies, depending on their locations, might be faced with travel restrictions," said Liz Plizga, group vice president at Diversified Communications.

"We are working closely with Fira de Barcelona and the city to ensure we can host a valuable in-person event that will bring back the representation that makes Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global the most comprehensive global seafood marketplace and trade event in the world."

The Barcelona event is scheduled for April 26-28.

Diversified Communications has never disclosed the financial losses suffered because of the cancellation of the events in 2020 and 2021, but an IntraFish estimate placed the lost revenue from the two events in 2020 at approximately $35 million (€31 million).

Questions at the time regarding the company's solvency prompted a letter from Mary Larkin, president of Diversified Communications, reassuring industry professionals the company was financially strong enough to weather the cancellations.

"First and foremost, I can confirm that the company is in solid financial condition and has never defaulted on any loans," she wrote in the letter.

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