Inaugural WELL Conference Canceled For 2020
After continuous monitoring and careful consideration of the most recent information provided about the coronavirus by the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization, The WELL Conference has been canceled for 2020. The inaugural event was originally planned for March 2020, then rescheduled to August 16-19, 2020, at the Fairmont Princess in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The WELL Conference partners, which include the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), and Emerald, are currently considering all options for future events, including a virtual event and dates for 2021, and will share additional information as soon as it is available. All registrations will be fully refunded.
“The WELL Conference was always meant to bring together the energy, enthusiasm and expertise that’s coalescing around the idea that our buildings and communities, and everything in them, are fundamental to our health and happiness,” said International WELL Building Institute Chairman and CEO Rick Fedrizzi. “What it means to design for health and wellness has shifted fundamentally over the course of the past few months, placing our buildings and communities at the frontline of this public health challenge. We remain committed to advancing this movement together, but at this time we must do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect the health and safety of our community.”
“With The WELL Conference, we were hoping we could not only reimagine the meeting experience itself, but give the architecture and design community as well as other market sectors the education and inspiration needed to create a holistic culture of health,” says Stacy Shoemaker Rauen, senior vice president of the Design Group at Emerald. “In fact, with the pandemic the world is now facing, wellness has never been more important, and we were excited to bring together like-minded attendees to prepare for the new realities ahead. However, the health and safety of our community and our team is of the utmost importance to us and it became clear we needed to postpone the live event until 2021.”
“The goal of The WELL Conference will remain to convene and educate the minds that will help build a healthier future,” stated ASID CEO Randy Fiser, Hon. FASID. “Despite the necessary but difficult decision to cancel The WELL Conference in 2020, I am proud of all three organizations–ASID, IWBI, and Emerald–for the commitment to guiding a movement centered in wellness. We will continue to work jointly to create an experience in 2021 that will inspire those who strive to make the spaces where we live, work, and play healthier.”
For more information and updates, go here.