SAVE THE DATE!
110TH AFWA ANNUAL MEETING
VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
September 9-11 & 14-15, 2020
Dear AFWA Membership, Partners and Friends:

For the better part of the last month I have been hoping against hope that we would all be able to get together in Sacramento this September.  The chance to meet with you in person to conduct the business of conservation is one that I look forward to every year and it is difficult for me to know how I would fill the void that would be created by not convening in our usual manner.
 
That said, it has become abundantly clear to me that it is not in anyone's better interests to hold our business as usual during the Coronavirus crisis.  This week I convened a meeting of the Association’s Executive Committee and we unanimously decided to hold the 2020 AFWA Annual Meeting virtually. 
 
I want to mention a few important pieces of information:

  1. We are hoping to hold the conference on September 9-11 & 14-15, 2020, so please save those dates! We will confirm these dates as soon as we have a contract in place with an online conference provider.  
  2. The schedule is going to look different but we will make sure all of the features that you expect will be there.
  3. We will open registration in late June, and post specific schedule information at that time. Registration fees will be significantly lower than an in person meeting.
  4. We are seeking sponsors and exhibitors for the conference- there are a lot of great ways for sponsors to interact with attendees through the virtual platform, and we are open to creating ideas for sponsorship activation.
  5. If you made a hotel reservation at either the Sheraton or Hyatt in Sacramento, the hotels will cancel your reservation free of penalty.
 
First and foremost I want to know that you are all safe and healthy.  I am confident that we can successfully conduct the business of the Association even in this trying moment in history. The work of conservation that we all hold near and dear must continue and we will do everything we can to make the 2020 AFWA Virtual Annual Meeting a success in every way.
 
If you have any questions, please contact Cindy Delaney at cindy@delaneymeetingevent.com.
 
I look forward to see you online in September!
 
Kelly Hepler (SD), President
Photo Credit: Beau Liddell