We’re thrilled to return to the JW Marriott for this year’s Mira Awards Gala on Saturday, April 23rd! We’ve decided to return to an in-person event not only to bring our community back together for a night of tech success storytelling and celebration, but also because of the latest COVID-19-related guidance for our region.

The safety of our nominees, sponsors, guests, partners and staff is TechPoint’s highest priority as we face the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. As such, we took a multi-pronged approach to validating our current decision to NOT require vaccination or a negative COVID test in order to attend the Mira Awards Gala. 

We used the following data for our rationale:

  • According to the CDC’s Community Level by County website tool, Marion County, Indiana is currently at low level status. Guidance for this level indicates for residents to stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines and to get tested if they have symptoms. It advises one to wear a mask based on one’s personal preference, and informed by one’s personal level of risk.
  • Our organization recently checked in with the Marion County Public Health Department, and it supports our decision not to require any vaccination, negative COVID PCR tests, or social distancing measures based on current conditions.
  • We did a survey of Mira Awards Live Judging attendees and the majority of individuals indicated a preference for not requiring vaccination, COVID testing and/or masking given current conditions.

County levels can be checked here and TechPoint leadership will continue to monitor county levels to determine any potential future change in event requirements. Additional guidance includes:

  • Because of the current low community level, and because of the nature of this type of event with food, drinks and networking, there will not be a masking requirement for event guests. All guests are encouraged to make a personal choice about masking based on their own circumstances and comfort levels, and we strongly recommend that unvaccinated guests continue to wear masks.
  • The employees of the venue and other event production partners will have their own policies that may or may not align to this policy. We will ask the event partners to be transparent about their policies.
  • Guests should stay home if feeling sick, are exhibiting any COVID-19 symptoms, have tested positive for COVID-19, or have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. Symptoms include:
    • Fever or chills
    • Cough
    • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
    • Fatigue
    • Muscle or body aches
    • Headache
    • New loss of taste or smell
    • Sore throat
    • Congestion or runny nose
    • Nausea or 
    • Diarrhea

TechPoint remains hopeful that COVID-19 cases remain at a low level, but our organization will continue to monitor CDC and local guidance, so please note that at any time, this policy is subject to change. Registered guests will be informed via email in advance if any changes to these guidelines are made, and the event website will be updated to reflect changes as well. If required changes to the event mean you’re unable, or uncomfortable, to attend the event, refunds may be issued at that time.
If you have any questions or concerns about our COVID-19 event policy please reach out to Anna Rauh, TechPoint Events Manager, at anna@techpoint.org.

Last Updated 4.18.22