TODAY, BY DECISION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS & CEO, THE 32ND IPSA ANNUAL CONFERENCE HAS GONE TOTALY VIRTUAL.
Todd Martin and the IPSA Board sent out a letter to IPSA attendees last night stating the following:
Tonight, I announce regretfully, that the 32nd IPSA Annual Conference will now be a virtual event.
Since 2018, I have been excited to plan the SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE and our meeting in the Desert. The last time IPSA was in Tucson, I was not the CEO. I was very excited to take IPSA to Tucson “My Way”.
As COVID became part of our national path in March, I consulted with the Board and the Annual Conference Committee on the best path forward. We considered multiple options to bring you to an in-person conference, and ultimately decided to stay our course and meet in Tucson. We hoped, along with all Americans, that we would see decline in issues surrounding COVID.
Unfortunately, this has not come to pass. In fact, cases are on the rise in the southwest, and hospital beds are at a minimum. Your health and safety are always my concern – we need more independent seed companies not less! While I know some of you have had COVID, luckily with little ill effects, I am concerned about those that may not be as fortunate. As I have said, Dad taught me to be responsible for myself, and Mom taught me to be compassionate about others (most of y’all know I obviously listen to Dad more).
After careful consideration and with the utmost concern for our members, associate members, sponsors and exhibitors, I announce the 32nd IPSA Annual Conference will be virtual.
To all of our sponsors, thank you for your support. I will be calling each of you individually for a brief discussion over the next couple of days.
We will operate our digital component on the mornings of January 20, 21, 2021. Our speakers will be available to every person you want to bring with your companies virtual registration, and that virtual registration is still open at www.ipseed.org.
We are going to have some fun. This will not be your typical ZOOM meeting. We are going to retool the schedule a bit, Peter Zeihen will speak on the 21st, and Ross Bernstein will headline the 20th. We will have three great breakouts, and our DC favorite, Constance Cullman to talk to us about what’s happening in Washington, and as you have seen today, that is a lot.
I am sorry that many of you have planned to travel. I know some plane tickets are refundable and some are not my hope is those will be able to be reused without a change charge.
IPSA will fully refund all in person registration fees. I hope you will register for virtual and be part of our event. Please make sure you cancel your hotel reservation directly with the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort. However, if you still wish to travel to Tucson on your own and attend the conference virtually from there, the hotel has agreed to honor the group rate.
As always, if you have any questions, please contact me directly via email or on my cell at 901-831-1057. There will be more information on our virtual schedule on Monday!
