COVID-19 has required that British Columbians collectively re-think nearly every aspect of our lives. At UBCM, this process of rethinking includes developing contingency plans for hosting the 2020 UBCM Convention. At this point, there are many unanswered questions with regard to the health orders that will be in place come September. We want to assure our members that we have begun the process of weighing other options to help you connect and collectively identify the top issues facing B.C.’s communities.
Planning for each Convention is a year-round process, so considerable work has been undertaken for the 2020 Convention slated to be held at the Victoria Conference Centre, September 21-25. While this work will continue, we will also develop a virtual Convention concept to provide a contingency in the event that an in-person Convention is prohibited or unfeasible. We are very appreciative of the support and the interest that has been offered by the City of Victoria, our sponsors and others to ensure this year’s Convention is the best possible in consideration of provincial health orders.
UBCM recognizes that this is a time of unusual financial challenge for B.C.’s local governments. The 2020 Convention will deliver quality programming while facilitating member direction and provincial engagement in a cost-effective format. We will also revisit our established registration deadlines and cancellation policies to take into account the present uncertainty.
We will provide a more detailed update on our approach following the May UBCM Executive meeting.