ASAE is converting its planned live annual meeting in Dallas this August into a virtual event, but one in conjunction with regional in-person gatherings. The association of association executives in a statement Wednesday cited health and safety concerns. A June meeting also will be converted to virtual.

"Given the current pace of COVID-19 vaccine rollout and member comfort in participating tied to whether they are vaccinated, ASAE concluded it's not possible at this time to guarantee the success of an in-person, multiday annual meeting and trade show in mid-August," ASAE said.

"There are too many variables outside our control that could impact our attendees' meeting experience," ASAE CEO Susan Robertson said in the statement. "While we're all eager for a full-bore return to face-to-face meetings, we're excited to create some options in August for our attendees to access top-level content virtually or reunite with their colleagues and partners in a safe, controllable environment."

Robertson told CEO Update that ASAE had already been anticipating lower attendance at the event.

"We were originally planning to have roughly 2,500 people in Dallas live, which is half of the regular attendance," she said. "With COVID lingering the way it has, we probably would have gone less than that."

Registration for the reconfigured event—to be held the week of Aug. 16—opens May 3. Hub locations are still to be determined, but ASAE said it anticipates that Dallas and some other ASAE "alliance partner" destinations will be among them. Visitors bureaus representing Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus, Ohio, Cleveland, Austin, Texas, Louisville, Ky., Omaha, Neb., Salt Lake City and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., are among those listed on ASAE's website as alliance partners.

Washington. D.C., is not an alliance partner, but Robertson told CEO Update that one of the regional meetings could be held there. "Certainly, we're going to talk to our alliance partners first," she said. "They're very loyal to us and we're very loyal to them. But we'll look at what makes sense for the community."

Much is yet to be determined, Robertson said, such as what will happen at the regional meetings. The ASAE board meeting itself, including council and committee meetings, will be virtual. It's likely that educational content will be pre-recorded, she said.

"We want to be very attentive to and responsive to how the alliance partners want these events to take place," Robertson said.

ASAE also said that its Marketing, Membership, & Communications Conference will virtual and is now scheduled for June 2-4. ASAE said the new MMCC website and registration portal will launch at the end of April.

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