More than 80 live event production companies announced Monday that they have banded together to launch Live for Life, a coalition offering engineering and support service solutions in response to front-line needs in the fight against COVID-19. Together, the companies are applying their world-class fabrication capabilities, logistics expertise, raw materials inventories, and labor to building essential support systems, including temporary hospital rooms, testing centers, emergency treatment patient rooms, personal protective equipment, and other resources across the United States.
“Navigating COVID-19 healthcare is in part a logistical challenge--from the need for additional hospital/ICU beds and drive-through testing centers, to aspects as simple as time and space,” said Chris Meyer, CEO of Auburn Hills, Mich.-based George P. Johnson, a founding member of Live for Life. “Together, the companies involved in the Live for Life coalition recognized that our industry can make a difference. Event producers specialize in planning complex logistics--in 2019 alone, we fueled the creation, production, setup and breakdown of 6,000 events in the U.S. We are highly organized and efficient, very familiar with operating at scale, and we know how to build the impossible quickly. Most importantly, we want to help.”
“The idea to convert empty convention centers to temporary hospitals came to life in a matter of days,” said Dave Walens, CEO of Atlanta-based founding member Exploring. “Every leader we contacted agreed to join this coalition without hesitation. Competitors came together as partners to meet this extraordinary need. This industry is united and is making it happen.”
The coalition’s production and labor crews can be deployed regionally and can have field hospitals operational within 72 hours of notification, the alliance said.
“We recognize that this challenge is larger than any one organization. We are truly collaborating and learning from each other as an industry,” added Nick Simonette, VP of Sales at founding member Czarnowski, based in Cypress, Calif.
Live for Life calls for lawmakers, municipalities, government contractors and more to visit here to learn more or send an email to [email protected].
