Bridgeport, West Virginia, Conference Center seeing more activity after COVID-19 shutdown

Most events being scheduled are social, he said. 

"As we think about scheduling into next year, I think people are a lot more comfortable with scheduling an event in 2021. I think the near term is still a cautious outlook for most folks," he said.

Concerns regarding the virus are present everywhere, he said, and those at the conference center are taking appropriate precautions.

"We’ve got all our signage up, we're social distancing, we’ve done a lot here to clean and sanitize the building while we were kind of temporarily closed and now we got our hand sanitizers out and are wiping down surfaces when we have events here. By now we are asking everyone that comes to the conference center wears a mask when they are in the building unless they are actively eating and drinking. I think we've had pretty good compliance there so far," he said.

For the social events, Ludwig said the conference center is operating at 50 percent capacity, falling under and abiding by the restaurant guidelines established by the governor's office. 

For private, essential events like weddings, occupancy limits can be larger, he said, but social distancing and other guidelines are still followed.

The staff members that were furloughed in April are seeing more work now. 

"As we get busier on a more daily, weekly basis, we will have more work for them and then we are also able to give them some hours over at Mia Margherita and at the Microtel (Inn and Suites). We manage all three of those businesses. We have folks doing different jobs to try and keep them busy. Just about everybody has been back to work an event or two since we started to really open back up again," he said.

Thanks to the recent baseball tournaments at the Bridgeport Sports and Recreation Complex, Ludwig said positive impacts have also been felt at Mia Margherita and the Microtel Inn and Suites.

"We’ve seen a really nice, positive impact, especially Mia Margherita. ... We've had a lot of pizzas ordered, a lot of interest in dine-in and also takeout. That’s what we are seeing and those are just the recent baseball tournaments. I think we are optimistic that once this indoor rec center is completed they are going to bring tournaments here to Bridgeport that we've never seen before with other sports like swimming and basketball. Those are the things I think are exciting as you think about the future and success of that venue," he said.

At the July 13 City Council meeting, Parks and Recreation Director Joe Shuttleworth said, "with the number of teams we had, we filled up most of the hotels locally. Very good business for them."

The business brought to the area is a great step forward, Ludwig said. 

"It’s great. But the safety of our guests and our staff are still the most important things for us, and that’s what we want to think about every day," he said.