As we continue to deal with uncertainty and continually changing Coronavirus situation, our GCATD Conference Committee has been gathering data and exploring options for the 2020 conference. Of utmost importance in our investigation is respecting the health and safety of our attendees while preserving the best-in-class quality conference that the Greater Cincinnati Talent Development Community has come to expect.

To explore our options, we took several actions:

• We surveyed our customers (~2000) asking them to rank their top five of seven delivery options. When weighting the data based on number of responses per option, preferences within the top five options, and reviewing criteria required by respondents for attending a conference, it was clear there was a preference for an in-person conference. We attribute this to the value of networking, relationship building, vendor explorations, and hands-on learning our conference is built on.
• Our 6% response rate was also an indicator of the uncertainty we are all facing and a hesitancy to make commitments.
• We explored possible technologies for delivering a virtual conference and found that, for the quality we desired, the cost was prohibitive and required a long-term commitment.
• We contacted our venue and found they cannot confirm events until 45 days prior due to the evolving restrictions for group gatherings which leaves very little time for planning a quality conference. They also indicated that the number of attendees would be limited due to social distancing.
• We polled our Conference Committee and found less than half were comfortable attending in person based on what they know today.
• We took this information to our Executive Advisory Board (senior leaders who represented about 25% of our 2019 conference attendees) and our GCATD Board of Directors. Both leadership groups agreed that much of the value of our conference would be lost if not in-person. They also cited challenges such as: many organizations pushing things to the fall so attendees may not have the time to attend, budget limitations, possible health concerns, and the current state of virtual burnout. Their recommendation was to postpone till next year.

Our GCATD Conference Committee felt that, in keeping with our reputation and the pride and responsibility we take for the conference, we would prefer to deliver the high-quality event our attendees have come to expect. Today’s circumstances simply don’t support being able to do so. We thank all of you who contributed to this decision. With heavy hearts, we all agreed to postpone the GCATD Conference to October 6, 2021 at The Oscar Event Center at Jungle Jim’s Market! Please mark your calendars now and save the date!