The Institute for Public Relations postponed its annual conference in Washington, D.C., which welcomes a mix of PR pros and academics known as The Bridge. Scheduled for March 26-27, IPR said it now will be held Nov. 5-6, right after the U.S. presidential election. One-hundred attendees were expected.
“The safety of our attendees and staff was our number one consideration when we decided to reschedule the conference,” IPR chief Tina McCorkindale told PRNEWS. “With so many unknowns about COVID-19,” she continued, “we would rather cancel than have something happen as a result of us holding the event.”
“When making the decision, we focused on what we think is the right thing to do,” McCorkindale said. “We have high-risk attendees and speakers, as well as high-risk family members of attendees and speakers, and we didn't want to risk their health or anyone else's.”
With several organizations and colleges turning to online and other forms of virtual events, we asked McCorkindale about whether or not holding a virtual conference was considered. “This was a no-brainer for us,” she replied. The foundation of the Bridge, she said, resides in the ability to hold “rich discussions throughout the conference as well as [during] the socials and networking breaks.” She added that IPR “didn’t want to diminish the overall experience for our attendees.”
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