The SMC was due to be held at the JW Marriott in Austin, Texas, and featured a contact booth programme as well as guest speakers, including Jens Luehring, President & CEO, Messer America.
”GAWDA has been monitoring the CDC, World Health Organization and John Hopkins websites for the past few weeks,” GAWDA said in a statement.
”During this time, we have been in communication with the facilities in Austin to assess what options we were available. Large conferences like the SMC are planned years in advance, with the facilities, as well as careful coordination with the city, after multiple inquires, we learned that rescheduling was not an option. This health crisis has evolved, to where mass gatherings are being cancelled to mitigate the spread of the virus.”
GAWDA advises members to cancel hotel reservations with the JW Marriott Austin and W Hotel, and will issue refunds to all attendees.