ACCA 2020 Conference and Expo is Cancelled

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Dear ACCA Members and Partners:

Thank you for your support and patience as we have navigated issues surrounding the Coronavirus and the ACCA 2020 Conference and Expo in St. Louis, MO, which was to be held March 16-18. For the past couple of weeks, ACCA’s Board of Directors and Events Committee have been monitoring events around the country and constantly evaluating the safety of our members. And, we’ve had an outpouring of support from contractors who have been excited that ACCA was moving ahead with the 2020 Conference.

However, the city of St. Louis announced early this evening that it was banning large events. Therefore, ACCA has been forced to cancel the ACCA 2020 Conference & Expo.

Read more about the City’s update here.

While much of the country has been dreading the impact of the Coronavirus, ACCA members remained excited ACCA was moving ahead with our revamped and exciting conference schedule, our MIX Group event, and numerous off-site networking activities. We were also excited to host Congressman Randy Weber – a fellow HVAC contractor – Assistant Secretary of Energy Daniel Simmons, and officials from the EPA. And, just this morning contractors told me, “I’m coming… my wife works in a hospital and I have school age children, so I’m not afraid of airplanes and a trade show!” and “Our state is shutting everything down! I’m excited and thank you for moving forward!”

As your president and CEO, I too was very excited to be with all of you in St. Louis and I hope to see you at another conference very soon. To best serve you, we are offering attendees the opportunity to transfer your registration to next year’s ACCA 2021 Conference and Expo – look for an announcement very soon! Keep in mind, next year’s registration rates could go up, so transferring your 2020 registration will lock in your rate. I hope you’ll take advantage of that opportunity, but of course, we will refund your registration on request.

Although we had to cancel this year’s conference, I’m excited about all the things we have planned for you in the coming months. We’re excited to roll out new in-person and online educational programs focused on everything from communications and sales skills to residential and light commercial design. We’re also excited to share news of all the public policy and workforce initiatives ACCA is advancing as we continue to serve as the leader for our industry.

We truly appreciate the enormous investments that contractors, ACCA’s Corporate Partners, speakers, sponsors, host committee, and Allied Contracting Organizations have made to make ACCA 2020 a success, and we apologize for having to cancel our annual gathering of ACCA members. However, I certainly understand the situation in St. Louis and concerns regarding the Coronavirus and I wish you and your families all of the best.

If you have more questions, please speak with a member of the ACCA staff or visit our FAQs below.

Sincerely,

Barton James

President & CEO

ACCA Conference Cancellation FAQ

Will I get a refund for my registration?

ACCA is offering to transfer your registration to lock in rates for next year’s ACCA 2021 Conference and Expo, or provide you a full refund. If you do nothing today, we’ll let you know when ACCA 2021 registration opens and you’ll always have the option to request a refund if you change your mind.

How do I request a registration refund?

You can request a refund by calling 703-575-4477, Monday-Friday between the hours of 9am-5pm EST or by emailing membership@acca.org.

Who will cancel my hotel room?

Attendees are responsible for cancelling their own hotel reservations by calling the St. Louis Union Station Hotel at 855-271-3617 or following the instructions in their confirmation email.

When is ACCA’s next conference?

ACCA’s plan was to hold a conference in New Orleans in 2021. However, due to this emergency situation, we are evaluating these plans and will have an announcement very soon.

How are exhibitor and sponsor refunds being handled?

Thank you so much for your support. We ask for your patience as we develop processes to provide refunds, as well as incentives to rollover your exhibit reservation to ACCA 2021. Look for more information very soon or please contact accasales@ntpevents.com if you have specific questions.

Why didn’t ACCA make this decision sooner?

ACCA’s Board of Directors and Events Committee were speaking daily and evaluating the events around the country, and on the ground in St. Louis. ACCA was receiving a lot positive feedback from contractors and vendors who were excited to forge ahead with our conference, as well as feedback from attendees who had concerns. Taking all of this into consideration, ACCA’s leaders planned on holding our conference and providing attendees with our best networking and educational content yet. However, the city of St. Louis made the decision to ban large gatherings like ACCA’s annual event.

What was ACCA doing to ensure participants were safe?

Safety is our highest priority and ACCA took serious precautions to ensure the facilities were clean and that attendees had more space. For instance, we added more tables in all the breakout sessions and luncheons to ensure attendees had ample personal space. We also were transitioning to boxed meals instead of buffets to avoid using shared serving utensils. And, the hotel was taking additional measures like sanitizing rooms and fixtures and ensuring there was plenty of hand sanitizer and tissues available.

I’d like to speak to a member of the staff about these issues, who can I reach out to?

Most ACCA members are familiar with many of our ACCA staff, so feel free to reach out to whomever you feel comfortable speaking with. Alternatively, you can email membership@acca.org and a team member will get back to you in a timely manner. Please understand that your ACCA staff are managing all of the issues regarding this cancellation, so responses may be delayed. But, we promise that your concerns will be heard and addressed.

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