Hello GEDA Members & Annual Conference Registrants!
Sean McMillan, GEDA Second Vice-Chair and Chair of this year’s Annual Conference, and the GEDA Executive Committee approved the recommendation that GEDA not hold our 2020 Annual Conference (AC20) in-person at the Hyatt Regency Savannah in September. This decision was not made lightly and our concern for everyone’s health and safety was top of mind. A number of factors went into that decision. The current uptick in COVID cases, hospitalizations and deaths, not only in Georgia, but nationwide, has caused some of our speakers to cancel their in-person appearances at AC20 and many of our members to be concerned about attending. The proposed cost of the AC20 relative to the potential revenue does not seem to be of enough benefit for the possible attendance at AC20. Many statewide project managers would not be able to attend due to travel bans, expense cuts or the necessity to quarantine for 14 days after overnight travel. Also many schools, in the Atlanta area at least, are offering only virtual instruction, so it would be difficult for many members to attend the AC20 under these circumstances.
We truly wanted to host the AC20 but decided that the best course of action is to cancel it for this year. The Hyatt Regency Savannah has been very gracious in allowing us to cancel our event, without penalty, and we will look favorably at adding another year at the Hyatt for our future Annual Conference.
If you made reservations at the Hyatt Regency Savannah through the GEDA room block, your reservation will be automatically cancelled tomorrow by the hotel. There is no need to reach out to the hotel unless you would like to keep your reservation. If you need to reach out to the hotel, they can be reached at 912-238-1234.
I want to thank Sean McMillan, Megan Baker of Fayette County, who has worked closely with Sean, and their committee members who have been planning this AC20 for many months. It is very difficult to plan under these circumstances and Sean and his team have risen to the task. There will be some type of virtual programming of the Annual Conference offered and details will be forthcoming soon.
Let us know if you have any questions. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
Best regards,
Kevin
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