How the Arival Event Team Selected San Diego

Choosing a venue and organizing a conference is already complex. It’s more so during a pandemic. Here’s how we are doing it, what we are prioritizing, and why

Reading Time: 3 minutes 18 seconds

As soon as it became clear that we had to postpone and relocate our signature U.S. conference, Arival 360, our team kicked into high gear. The challenge was pretty clear: how could we identify a great location and venue to bring our community together, and provide an amazing experience amid the safest possible conditions. We have rescheduled Arival 360 to February 1–4, 2022, in San Diego, California. Here’s how we did it. 

Organizing an event of our size already involves a complex matrix of factors to evaluate. Amid the Covid pandemic and ever-changing conditions, there were so many new decision criteria for us to consider. From HVAC specs to onsite health and safety protocols, our research into destinations and hotel conference venues dug deep. 

Arival 360 | SAN DIEGO 2024

30 September – 3 October 2024

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Given our goals, we prioritized destinations in warmer climates and with lots of space, where we could spread out indoors and especially outdoors, to take advantage of open spaces, open windows and airflow whenever possible. Answers to the following questions (among others, of course!) were laid out in a matrix to compare property against property and city against city. We ended up with a shortlist of four great destinations. Suffice it to say, it was a lot to sift through!

Some of the Key Criteria We Evaluated Regarding Safety

Arival is heading to San Diego! Arival Heather Torrey
Outdoor space was one of the priorities that we examined — Town and Country Resort, San Diego
  • What are local and state governments doing to control the spread of Covid while at the same time working to encourage safe gatherings?
  • How will the venue prioritize safety in their cleaning, serving and staffing protocols?
  • What are the specifications of the HVAC system, including considerations such as air sources, recirculation times, HEPA filters and access to outside air introduction?
  • What is the availability of outdoor spaces for lunches, parties, and networking? Opportunities for an indoor / outdoor event is a top priority;
  • What are the maximum number and sizes of meeting rooms that we can access? Spreading out is key;
  • What can we do for food and beverage service to minimize touchpoints and maximize safety? Think options like box lunches, served buffets, and more bars to eliminate long lines for drinks (that’s a win-win Arival friends!);
  • How much of the total property will we ‘own’ for the week? Minimizing exposure to other groups and travelers will help reduce exposure risk and let’s face it, makes for better networking!

Through a strong partnership with the hotel and our team, we can take steps to promote health and safety and minimize risk, while still having the great conference experience you have come to expect from us. Beyond what the hotels and destinations can offer, we are committed to certain protocols and event design to support a safe event. One week prior to the 60 days registration cancellation deadline we will finalize our safety protocols based on the circumstances at that time. We will require proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test within 72 hours of the event. We are also exploring the ability to administer daily rapid testing onsite. Though local mandates may not specify, we will likely require everyone to wear a mask indoors.  

So, what did we decide? In the final analysis, we are delighted to reveal that we chose The Town & Country Resort in beautiful San Diego, California, to host Arival 360 from February 1–4, 2022. It’s a fantastic venue for all of us to come back together and connect. We plan to produce a memorable event while creating an incredible atmosphere where we can all happily reconvene, allowing us to safely share time together and grow our businesses. YOU remain our top priority, and know that we’re doing everything we can to plan for a successful and safe return to Arival!

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Membership Overview
ARIVAL CODE OF CONDUCT​
CONFERENCES AND COMMUNITY SPACES​

At Arival, we believe travel can make the world a better place. Our mission is to establish and inspire a diverse community of individuals and companies in the In-destination Industry by providing opportunities to gain insight, share knowledge and build connections. To make it possible for true collaboration, creativity, innovation, and idea exchange to thrive, we are committed to facilitating a welcoming and respectful community for all. This Conference Code of Conduct shares our community expectations and applies to all attendees, employees, exhibitors, speakers, sponsors, volunteers, and other participants at Arival- produced and sponsored events. We empower all participants in our community to actively engage in creating a friendly, inclusive and safe environment for all.

Arival’s core values include the following, and create an expectation for conduct at our events and in online community spaces:

We demonstrate a deep respect for human beings inside and outside our company and for the communities in which they live.
We value integrity and strive to consistently interact with others in ways that are authentic, ethical, and fair.
We are dedicated to transparency, committing to clear, open and honest communication.
We actively pursue and advocate for inclusion, diversity and representation of varying cultural backgrounds, perspectives and ideas

Arival welcomes people from all cultural backgrounds, and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, gender (including pregnancy, perceived pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender identity, religion (including religious dress and grooming), marital status, domestic partner status, genetic information, age, national origin or ancestry, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Accordingly, participants must refrain from displaying any demeaning, harassing, aggressive, or intimidating behavior or materials that would interfere with others’ experience and participation in our community.

If you witness or are subjected to inappropriate or disruptive behavior or have any other concerns, notify an Arival staff member as soon as possible.

Inappropriate or disruptive behavior will not be tolerated. Arival reserves the right to refuse entry to or remove any party from any event or community space at any time when participation or behavior create a disruption or hinder the event or enjoyment of the event by other participants. All determinations are at the sole discretion of Arival, and the decision of the Arival team will be final. Severe breaches of this Conference Code of Conduct may result in disqualification from participating in future events. Individuals expelled due to violating this Conference Code of Conduct will not be eligible for a refund or other consolation.

If you have questions regarding this Conference Code of Conduct or its implementation, please contact us at [email protected].