Adapting to the unforeseeable changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Drowning Prevention Alliance has decided to shift this year's National Water Safety Conference to an online platform. As they work to revise the conference accordingly they assure that this change will allow more people to join the event than ever before.
Some of the highlights noted by the NDPA include unlimited access to over 40 virtual sessions, no travel costs and more interaction with industry professionals via social channels like Facebook. For those who have not signed up for the conference yet, the cost of registration has now been adjusted to $399. Anyone who has already registered will receive a refund of $100.
Read their statement below and learn more about the conference on the NDPA website.
Good afternoon, NDPA Conference attendees & supporters,
Thank you for your patience and understanding during this difficult and unprecedented time. As you know, the 2020 National Water Safety Conference is scheduled for April 6-9 in Fort Worth, Texas. Given government regulations, employer travel restrictions, published public health recommendations and participant safety, it is impossible to host our in-person conference in Fort Worth. Instead, we are excited to announce that we will be moving the 2020 National Water Safety Conference to a new and interactive virtual format to be held over the same dates.
The NDPA Board of Directors has had extensive discussions over the past week due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We felt a responsibility to host our conference as it is the kick-off to the drowning prevention season and although unquantifiable, we know, saves lives. We also felt it was our duty to our alliance members, supporters and the nation as we fear drowning rates will dramatically increase as children and families will have extended time at home and potential exposure to water more than ever. Therefore, we mobilized quickly, reviewed our options and determined the best course of action.
We as the NDPA, recognize the serious role our annual conference plays to support professionals, advocates, educators, parents and all drowning prevention warriors in preparing for the upcoming season and have become equally excited to deliver the most value in a flexible and innovative way.
We have expanded our conference team in the past few days to include experts and experienced individuals who will help us ensure we can successfully deliver you the best value possible. Yes, our upcoming conference will be different, just as many things are in our lives right now. While it is not possible for us to deliver the same in-person experience, we have come up with something as valuable that will allow many more people to “join” our conference than ever before. Our commitment to you is to work harder than ever to provide each of you with a meaningful and well executed event that provides exceptional educational opportunities.
We will be providing more information about online participation and support in the coming days to attendees, speakers and sponsors.
· ATTENDEES: We will be communicating with you on a regular basis to inform you of our conference schedule and ways to make the most of your online participation.
· SPEAKERS: We will be communicating with you in the next 48 hours to provide you with information about the delivery of your presentation. Please keep an eye out for further information via email.
· EXHIBITORS/SPONSORS: We will be communicating with you by the end of this week regarding your options for virtual participation and adjusted benefits.
Again, thank you for your continued patience during this time. We will have further information available for all participants in the coming days. We know that this is an extremely unusual and unprecedented time in the world. The NDPA will be working constantly to ensure we can provide the drowning prevention and water safety community with the most important education and connectivity possible. Thank you for helping us save lives!
Best regards,
Adam
