Hand sanitizer has had a wild ride in 2020. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in the U.S., just as cases were starting to pop up in coastal cities, promotional suppliers were hamstrung by the demand, and many had to completely stop selling sanitizer for months. More recently, there were shortage issues relating to plastics for hand sanitizer bottles, and now government regulations regarding contaminants in the manufacturing process.
But, as distributors know, hand sanitizer has remained in high demand, for obvious reasons. And with supply seemingly beginning to turn a corner (thanks in part to relaxed FDA regulations), now’s as good a time as any to look for additional markets for hand sanitizer.
One of them? Events.
Yes, the events business is slow or nonexistent right now, but that may make it easy to overlook it as in-person events start to return. And some are indeed returning, especially on the political front. President Trump plans to hold a rally on June 20 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and according to TMZ, the federal government reportedly spent more than $30,000 on 400 cartons of hand sanitizer for the Republican and Democratic National Conventions scheduled for August.
The Democratic National Convention is still scheduled as is for Milwaukee, though there have been rumblings in the news that it could go virtual-only. Still, the Republican convention appears to be moving forward, having just announced it would relocate to Jacksonville for an in-person event.
Elsewhere, smaller regional events have shown a flicker of life, as in Waco, Texas, which recently held a handful of live music and art events outdoors.
This market will be slow to return, and even as it does, uncertainty over potential cancellations is likely to remain high as the virus continues its unpredictable course. But it’s clear that, with safety a top priority for any gatherings that do resume, hand sanitizer should be in high demand.
