Due to fears over the coronavirus spread, Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America has canceled the WSWA 77th Annual Convention & Exposition.
The show had been set for April 20-23 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
“Over the past 24 hours, it became clear that keeping our community safe and healthy went beyond any additional hygiene measures we could put in place,” the organization says on a note on their website. “Additionally, in the wake of the announced European travel ban and the understanding from many of our WSWA members and exhibitors that domestic travel has already been limited, the decision to cancel the event was the right one.”
WSWA will work to refund all payments made to the organization, including registration, exhibit booth, lower level suites and sponsorship fees. All payment refunds will be subject to a $50 processing fee per refund. Refunds will be returned to the same method of payment, with the exception of domestic wire transfers, which will be refunded by check.
“We anticipate that all refunds will be processed by April 5,” the company says.
WSWA reminds attendees to cancel any agreements they had entered into with vendors. This includes all WSWA preferred vendors, Shepard, Caesars Palace, Destinations by Design and CMT.
The WSWA Convention team has tendered the official cancellation notification to Caesars Palace. Once the notification is formally processed by Caesars Palace, all room and suite reservations made through WSWA for the 77th Annual Convention & Exposition will be released and refunded.
“We are currently considering a number of alternatives to preserve our long-standing reputation as the industry’s premier event and provide our industry partners with similar business opportunities found at the convention throughout the year,” the organization says. “Be on the lookout for educational webinars, showcases, brand features and media engagements. This is the premier event that brings the industry together and we are committed to move forward with the same expectation of excellence in 2021.”
“We are disappointed that this year’s Convention & Exposition has been affected by the COVID-19 global health crisis, but our team remains committed to making the 2021 WSWA Convention & Exposition the best yet,” the note continues.
The WSWA 78th Annual Convention & Exposition is set for April 6-9, 2021, at Grande Lakes Orlando, FL.
For more information on refunds, contact:
- Kristi Hepner, Kristi@wswa.org – Registration Fee Refunds
- Kari Langerman, Kari@wswa.org – Exhibit Hall and Traditional Suite Refunds
- Cindy Nachman-Senders, Cindy@wswa.org, or Lisa Koenig, Lisa.Koenig@wswa.org– Lower Level Suite and Sponsorship Refunds