A silver lining of the COVID-19 pandemic has been witnessing the ingenuity of people and companies that are thinking innovatively to help create safe environments and develop opportunities for others.

In the spring of 2020, as our team began researching how to purchase acrylic shields for events in our venue, we quickly realized that a variety of sizes and shapes would be needed to accommodate the different types of events and uses for these important safety barriers. A guest approaching a registration desk may only need a small opening for materials to be passed across the counter, while a guest receiving their morning coffee and pastry would require a different design.

Enter the ingenuity of one of our employees. While we were brainstorming ideas, he started talking about motorcycles. He went on to tell us about a local company called Slipstreamer that had designed and replaced his motorcycle windshield a few years back. We researched Slipstreamer to find out that indeed, this Blaine, Minnesota-based company is one of the largest manufacturers of motorcycle windshields in the world and specializes in custom design. Would they be willing to veer away from motorcycle windshields for a bit and venture a short ride into the events industry?

Sure enough, 140 protection shields later, Slipstreamer was all in. They designed a variety of acrylic shields personalized to fit the needs of our different events, and they played an essential role in allowing our venue to safely bring people back together and foster an essential human connection.

Events involve creativity and the ability to move to plan B, C or sometimes D when things go awry. We are grateful for companies like Slipstreamer that are willing to see the possibilities.