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The industry's 2020 conference landscape changed dramatically on Monday as both major national trade groups axed their summer shows over concerns related to the global pandemic.
Late Monday, the Credit Union National Association and the World Council of Credit Unions announced the cancellation of the two groups’ joint 2020 conference, which was slated to start in Los Angeles on July 19.
The two groups last hosted their annual event together in Denver in 2015.
A statement from the trade organizations said the decision was made “in accordance with recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Los Angeles Convention Center and the Los Angeles Visitors Bureau.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has placed the entire state under a lockdown order to help contain the spread of the coronavirus, but an end date has not yet been established.
While some events scuttled by the coronavirus have been rescheduled, this event will not be. WOCCU’s 2021 conference is set to take place in Glasgow, Scotland, starting on July 11, 2021.
The National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions made a similar move Monday, canceling its 53rd Annual Conference and Solutions Expo, scheduled for late July in Vancouver, Canada. NAFCU's annual business meeting is still planned for June at its Arlington, Va., headquarters, and will also be conducted virtually.
The group’s annual Congressional Caucus is still scheduled for September in Washington.
State-level events also being cut
Groups from across the industry have called off or rescheduled events due to concerns regarding travel, spread of the virus and more, including vendors such as PSCU and
While the CUNA, WOCCU and NAFCU events are the highest-profile credit union summer shows, a host of smaller events traditionally take place as well, including conferences from multiple state leagues. Some of those have also already begun to be cancelled or rescheduled. Among those is the Michigan Credit Union League’s Annual Convention & Exposition. Originally scheduled for June in Grand Rapids, it has been pushed back to mid-September and relocated to Traverse City.
The League of Southeastern Credit Unions’ summer show, slated for mid-June in Orlando, Fla., has also been canceled, while the Credit Union Association of the Dakotas’ Annual Summit has been moved from early May to October.
Toronto-Dominion Bank plans to give most employees the option to return to the office this month and is aiming for workers to officially transition to their new working models by June.
The Biden administration once again extended the pause on student loan payments enacted to help borrowers during the COVID-19 pandemic, this time through the end of August.
Employees will still have some flexibility to work from home, but are strongly encouraged to collaborate with colleagues in person, according to people familiar with the matter.
Aside from the opportunities for networking, setting advocacy priorities and more, one event-planning expert
“Either way, if you have it or you don’t, at this point you’re probably going to be impacted on the revenue side,” said Sally Mainprize, owner of Iron Peacock Events, a Texas-based event-planning consultancy,
