On Monday night, AABB’s Board of Directors made the decision to cancel their upcoming in-person Annual Meeting, scheduled for Oct. 1-4 in Orlando.
Hurricane Ian continues to strengthen and is expected to be an even more powerful storm by the time it reaches Florida later this week. The entire state of Florida is under a state of emergency, with school closures and evacuation orders already being issued. While the precise storm path is still somewhat uncertain, its size and scope have the potential to dramatically impact a wide swath of the state, including Orlando. The Board has made this decision now because the safety and health of their community is, as always, AABB’s top priority; they hope this provides sufficient time for attendees to cancel travel and make alternative plans over the next several days. It is also necessary to make a decision now, since preparation for the Meeting begins on-site on Tuesday.
To that end, action steps are already underway to expand their previously planned virtual meeting for November 6-7, 2022. Throughout the next several days, AABB will be sending out information to all attendees who had registered for the in-person Annual Meeting in Orlando to transfer their registration to the virtual meeting; this transfer will include a partial refund to reflect the difference in price. Speakers and session moderators will be contacted by AABB’s education team, and A. Fassano & Co. will be reaching out to sponsors and exhibitors in the coming days to discuss next steps.
