VIAAA State Conference

UPDATE March 16 - The Officers of the VIAAA have announced the cancellation of the 2020 VIAAA State Conference.  

Dear VIAAA Members, Presenters, Sponsors, and Vendors,

VIAAA has been monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects it is having on our communities throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.  The health and safety of our members, meeting attendees, exhibitors, and staff is paramount.

Governor Ralph Northam has declared a state of emergency, shut down all schools through March 27^th, placed a ban on all gatherings of 100 people or more statewide amid a rise in coronavirus cases, along with CDC recommendation of restricting gatherings to 50 or fewer people; it is with this information that we concluded that we must cancel this year’s state conference for the safety and welfare of everyone involved.  No decision is ever easy, but failure to make a reasonable and rational decision with the well-being of our members, meeting attendees, exhibitors, and staff in mind would be unjustifiable.  Please be assured VIAAA made this decision acting in an abundance of caution.

VIAAA will continue to communicate with all of you regularly as the Association forges the path forward and ask your patience in that process. A few answers that are available immediately;

• Conference Reimbursement: All attendees and vendors will receive either reimbursement of conference registration fees or have the option to credit that fee to the 49^TH VIAAA Conference to be held at the Omni in Charlottesville on March 23-26, 2021. The conference committee and officers request your patience as we navigate a system to achieve this. Communication will be to all of you as quickly as possible.
• For those conference attendees and exhibitors that booked hotel rooms through VIAAA: All hotel rooms booked through the VIAAA Room Block at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott will be automatically canceled with no fees or penalties. You will receive a confirmation of the cancellation, and any fees already paid for the room will be refunded. If you have any questions, please reach out to the hotel directly. Keep in mind, the hotel is dealing with cancellations in addition to the VIAAA Conference, and if lines are busy, please be patient.
• For those conference attendees and exhibitors that booked hotel rooms on their own (outside of the VIAAA online system): If you booked your hotel room yourself, you will need to communicate with the hotel and cancel your reservation.
• The 48th VIAAA Award Recipients: All recipients for the 48th VIAAA Awards will be honored along with the 49^TH VIAAA Award Recipients at next year’s state conference banquet.
• The 48th VIAAA Scholarship Award Recipients: All recipients will be awarded at their Senior Honors Assembly or Graduation by their AD.

Thank you to all of you who have communicated with us to express your support and thoughts.   We are especially grateful to the Conference committee organizers and EVADA for the hours of work they poured into organizing and the planning of our state conference.  It takes months of organization and planning to ensure the success of what would have been another great conference hosted by EVADA.  Let’s continue to work together through this pandemic and into even greater success in the future. Be safe and stay healthy.

Sincerely,

VIAAA Officers

Resources:  The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has an extensive collection of information, recommendations, status updates and Frequently Asked Questions about the COVID-19 virus. The Virginia Department of Health is another good source of information locally and in the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

​Future Conference dates and locations are:

• March 22-27, 2021, The Omni Hotel, Charlottesville, VA
• March 21-26. 2022, The Omni Hotel, Charlottesville, VA

State Conference information:

• Vendors Information 
• Golf Tournament Information 
• Conference Schedule 
• Hotel Registration   
• College Class Information
• Conference Registration Form  
• For Online Conference Registration