The Association of National Advertisers Masters of Marketing is back, live and in person. But the conference drew only a small fraction of its former attendance as COVID concerns – or lack of travel budgets – keep crowds at bay.

From the stage today, ANA CEO Bob Liodice pegged in-person attendance at 500 at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, which for years has been the venue for the biggest event of the leading marketer organization in the industry. By contrast, the Masters had nearly 3,000 attendees in 2019, the last time it was held in Orlando pre-pandemic. People were mostly watching from home this year, as Liodice reported nearly 3,000 virtual attendees.

Lobbies that used to be packed with people in years past were relatively quiet. In previous years, attendees sometimes had to take shuttles in from satellite hotels. But Priceline was advertising rooms at the Rosen Shingle Creek on Tuesday as low as $114 a night, less than half the conference rate, and anyone who took up the offer early Wednesday could check in as early as 7:30 a.m.

Most speakers so far have been in person, including Procter & Gamble Co. Chief Brand Officer and ANA Chairman Marc Pritchard, but sponsor presentations from A&E Networks and Pinterest were pre-recorded. Other speakers, such as McDonald's Chief Marketing and Digital Customer Experience Officer Morgan Flatley, presented virtually and then appeared on screen to take live questions from Liodice.

For those who made the trip, concerns about social distancing seemed remote. A socially distant four chairs per table may have kept people apart at dinner, but it was close talking as usual during an opening reception on Tuesday night and post-dinner informal drinks at a packed Headwaters Lounge on site.

Publicity surrounding Florida’s delta variant surge, as it peaked in August, helped scare away enough in-person attendees that the ANA made its Masters of Data & Technology Conference, originally scheduled for Orlando, all virtual less than a week before it started. But daily case counts in Florida have since subsided close to their pandemic low points.

The ANA in August tried to reassure would-be Masters attendees by saying it would require proof of COVID vaccinations. But that was before a Florida law took effect Sept. 16 that subjects businesses to $5,000 fines should they require people show proof of vaccination.

The ANA didn’t risk the fines – instead requiring registrants to sign a form saying they weren’t experiencing COVID symptoms and hadn’t tested positive the past 14 days. People who want to show they’ve been vaccinated can pick up a sticker from a tray next to where they drop off those forms.

As it did during two smaller summer conferences in Florida and Arizona, the ANA offered green, yellow and red lanyards for people to signal their level of COVID caution. And from the stage, Liodice strongly encouraged people to wear masks. But almost all the lanyards were green, and only one or two attendees could be seen wearing masks, though all hotel staff was.

From the stage, Liodice looked at things optimistically. “It is absolutely great to have you back where you belong,” Liodice said. “As we look ahead at the next three days of this conference, things are really starting to look up.”