Association planned to celebrate its 100th anniversary in Las Vegas, will hold virtual event instead

ASAE has canceled its annual meeting in August because of COVID-19 concerns but will move ahead with a virtual event around the same time.

ASAE's 2020 Annual Meeting & Exposition was scheduled to be held August 8-11 at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. This year would have been the first time in 51 years that ASAE held the event in Vegas, and it was to cap off the group's celebration of its 100th anniversary.

"As excited as we were to put on a robust, memorable in-person Annual Meeting in Las Vegas this August and to celebrate ASAE's Centennial with the association community, the public health and safety of our attendees, staff and volunteers and the MGM staff outweighed any other considerations in our collective decision-making process," ASAE CEO Susan Robertson said in a statement.

The annual meeting was last held in August 2019 in Columbus, Ohio, drawing more than 5,000 people. Numerous associations have canceled summer trade shows and conferences as a result of the pandemic, although few have canceled events so far out as ASAE. The veterans service organization AMVETS (American Veterans) announced Monday that its Aug. 18-22 national convention in Springfield, Ill., was canceled.

The $27 million-revenue ASAE reported earning more than $14 million in revenue from meetings, expos and education during the tax year ending Aug. 31, 2018. It had recently offered members three months of free membership as associations faced financial difficulties resulting from canceled meetings and lost dues.

ASAE plans to move ahead with the annual meeting as a virtual event to be held the week of August 10. The group said it was working with speakers, sponsors and industry partners on the details and planned to provide more information in the near future.