[posted 8:40am EDT, 9-26-24]
Dear GSA 2024 Conference participants,
Welcome to Atlanta to those of you who have already arrived! The first pre-conference events are already underway this morning and we’ve had the pleasure of greeting some of you here in the conference venue.
We would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that GSA 2024 will proceed as an in-person conference. The decision as to whether or not to travel to Atlanta, given the adverse weather conditions, is one for each individual member. Please be reassured that there is no “ban” on future conference attendance for those who must withdraw from the conference, so that should not factor into anyone’s decision-making. Your safety is paramount, and no member should undertake travel that they feel would be unsafe.
Members have asked about using Zoom as an alternative to traveling to Atlanta. The GSA has over two dozen meeting spaces. Converting an in-person session to a hybrid session requires adding video broadcasting capability to each affected space. This is more complex than simply hosting an online event, and cannot be done at scale on such short notice. We thank you in advance for your understanding why we cannot offer Zoom as a large-scale solution in this instance.
We look forward to welcoming those of you who will be participating in GSA 2024 in Atlanta over the next few days, and hope to see those of you who will not next year in Arlington for GSA 2025.
Best,
________________________________________
[posted 12:20pm EDT, 9-25-24]
Dear GSA 2024 Conference participants,
As many of you already know, Hurricane Helene may affect the Atlanta area; Metro Atlanta and northern Georgia are included in a Tropical Storm Watch at the time of this writing. We and the hotel management team have met, are all closely monitoring the storm, and have discussed hotel emergency procedures for all eventualities.
As of right now, we expect to move forward with the conference as planned, but we understand that participants’ travel could be affected by delays/cancellations depending on where they’re flying in from and when. We ask all of you to be aware of the weather, keep your fellow panelists up to date if your travel plans change, and — above all — be safe.
We are looking forward to welcoming you when you arrive and hope to see you soon.
Safe travels,