Friday, March 13, 2020
In response to the global COVID-19 pandemic, The Southeast Acquirers Association rescheduled its 19th annual conference to June 15 to 17, 2020, event planners stated. The event had originally been scheduled to take place on April 6 and 7 at Intercontinental Miami. The hotel and professional organizers at Cypress Planning Group have been phenomenally supportive during this difficult time, according to SEAA founder and board member John McCormick.
"Over the past few weeks, the SEAA Board of Directors has been working with our hotel partner and other vendors to address the concerns regarding the spread of the coronavirus," McCormick said in a statement. "Given the advice of health professionals to limit large gatherings until the infection rate has subsided, the SEAA Board of Directors has elected to move SEAA 2020 to June 15-17."
SEAA, an independent not-for-profit and non-membership association, was founded in 2000 to educate ISOs and merchant service providers in the Southeast region of the United States, keeping them up to date on payments industry trends and regulatory developments. SEAA remains committed to these goals and to improving the electronic payments industry through education and networking by actively participating in national and regional tradeshows, initiatives and other important industry events, McCormick stated.
McCormick additionally noted that this is not the first time the SEAA's annual conference has been disrupted. "Our first show was produced one month after the 9/11 attacks," he said. "Our fifth show was delayed by the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina on the City of New Orleans."
SEAA event planners and board of directors are asking registrants, speakers and guests to be patient while SEAA 2020 hotel accommodations and show registration details are finalized. Organizers will post additional notices about conference bookings, agenda and room blocks as information becomes available, they stated.
A March 12 situation summary by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported different levels of COVID-19 activity in various regions of the country, stating that "duration and severity of each phase can vary depending on the characteristics of the virus and the public health response."
With these unknown factors in mind, the CDC recommends curtailing events involving 500 or more individuals to lessen the spread and impact of this virus. Schools, museums, concerts, sporting events and conference venues are adopting these measures globally, while encouraging people who are not feeling well to shelter in place.
"Everyone can do their part to help us respond to this emerging public health threat," the CDC website states. Individuals and communities can help protect themselves and their communities. Older people and people with severe chronic conditions can take additional precautions to mitigate risk. Additional information can be found at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html.
The SEAA 2020 mobile app, available in Google Play and the Apple App Store, will provide real-time updates and information about the upcoming June conference. SEAA encourages interested parties to download the app and stay connected.
"Every member of the [SEAA] Board of Directors and Advisory Committee is an active participant in the electronic payments industry, with the majority involved in extensive travel and personal interaction as part of their job," wrote SEAA organizers in an official statement. "We share your concerns over the current situation and we are also committed to ensuring that this industry continues to grow and thrive."
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