NRA cancels Springfield meeting

The National Rifle Association canceled its annual member meeting that was slated to take place in Springfield this fall.

Up to 1,200 people were expected to attend the event, according to a news release from the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau. Dana Maugans, director of sales for the CVB, told Springfield Business Journal last month the event had an estimated economic impact of $850,000 and that it was projected to generate between 1,000 and 1,400 room nights at lodging facilities in the city.

The NRA cited health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic in calling off the meeting, according to the release. The meeting previously had been scheduled to take place in Nashville in April, but that event also was canceled due to the pandemic. Last month, the NRA tweeted the meeting would be held Sept. 5 at the Springfield Expo Center.

With the NRA’s decision, now more than 70 group events booked by the CVB have been canceled due to the pandemic. The events would have generated more than $40 million in expenditures in the area, officials said.

“Groups that were postponed from spring to the fall are either canceling or postponing again due to the uncertainty of this pandemic,” Maugans said in the release. “The CVB is working to book new group business for future years.”