ALIA cancels national conference due to coronavirus

Due to concerns over coronavirus, the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) has cancelled the ALIA National 2020 Conference, which was scheduled to run 4–8 May at Sydney’s International Convention Centre (ICC).

‘The timing, just eight weeks away, and Sydney location put us in the epicentre of the outbreak, with an anticipated 700 national and international attendees,’ said ALIA president Robert Knight in a statement. ‘Our choices were to go forward with energy, with the risk that we would not have speakers to fill the program, significantly fewer delegates and a much-reduced exhibition, or to cancel now, enabling people to minimise their own financial commitment and with full refunds of registration fees and exhibition spaces.’

Knight said the ALIA board ‘agreed that the situation was unlikely to improve during March/April and it was more likely that it would deteriorate’.

‘Despite the significant financial impact on the association, we felt the best decision for the health and wellbeing of our members, industry partners and staff, was to cancel now,’ said Knight.

Knight added that ALIA will focus now on its ALIA Information Online conference to be held from 8–10 February next year at the ICC Sydney.

Category: Local news