The GrowCanada 2020 conference in Ottawa has been cancelled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and uncertainties related to large events, the organization said in a statement.
“This is a decision we did not arrive at lightly, but our attendees’ well-being is very important to us. The survey of past conference participants, and conversations with our GrowCanada partners and sponsors provided us with the insight we needed to arrive at this decision,” the statement says.
The results of the survey showed that due to the unpredictability of the pandemic and concerns about travel, holding an in-person event in December is not possible, organizers said.
“Furthermore, the majority of survey respondents identified networking and making connections as the most important reason they attend the conference, something that could not be accomplished virtually.”
Organizers explored the possibility of offering a scaled-back virtual session related to GrowCanada, but have decided against this for a number of reasons. CropLife Canada, however, will be exploring opportunities for targeted virtual sessions, the statement says.
