To NARSA/IDEA Members and 2021 Fall Conference Attendees,

Over the past several weeks, the NARSA/IDEA staff and the Executive Committee have been meeting regarding the status of our upcoming conference in Texas. We look forward to gathering together again, and we have worked hard to put together a robust and informative program for Dallas.

However, with current registration numbers lower than expected, the Executive Committee decided to call former attendees of the 2019 conference in Tulsa to ask about the upcoming event. It was evident from these calls the overall attendance for the Fall Conference was going to be much lower than anticipated. We believe that several extenuating circumstances have led our members to be apprehensive about attending the upcoming meeting. These difficulties, combined with the increased travel protocols for some of our overseas members, make the logistics of attending this event quite challenging.

After discussing the status of the event at length, the NARSA/IDEA Board of Directors voted to postpone the event until the spring of 2022. Please be assured, we will continue to work to secure a date for the Spring 2022 event. In the meantime, we will be happy to process refunds for both sponsors and attendees who have already purchased tickets. Please contact Sandy Taylor (staylor@narsa.org) to start that process. We are also offering the option for members and sponsors to use their current payments as credit for the upcoming event. Be on the lookout for a new save-the-date soon!

It is our greatest desire to develop programming and opportunities for our members to learn, connect, and grow from one another. We want our events to be accessible and beneficial to everyone in the association. While it was difficult to come to this conclusion, we feel that it is in the best interest of all our members.

Thank you for sticking with us during this rollercoaster season. Your continued support and commitment to NARSA/IDEA is what keeps this organization strong.

Sincerely,

Mark Taylor, Executive Director of NARSA/IDEA

mtaylor@narsa.org
(410) 320-5119