09-01-05 -- NECA 2005 New Orleans Cancellation Notice
On Wednesday, August 31, 2005, the NECA Executive Committee met by conference call and determined that it would not be possible to hold any of NECA programs scheduled in New Orleans Sept. 16-20, including the Convention, the NECA Show, the Conference on Integrated Building Systems, and the Conference on Lighting Education. This decision was made after consulting with numerous representatives and counsel and confirms what most you already assumed - that given the recent natural disaster, New Orleans will be unable to host NECA 2005 and its participants.These programs will not be rescheduled or relocated for 2005.
This was not an easy decision to make, but based on the catastrophic condition of the city, the committee determined this was the responsible course of action.
Registrants for NECA 2005 New Orleans do not need to cancel meeting registrations or hotel reservations made through NECA’s convention housing service; this will be handled by NECA, and no charges will be assessed for any arrangements made through the housing service. Registrants should check with their airline for conditions regarding refunds for their New Orleans travel reservations.
NECA is in the process of establishing refund procedures for NECA 2005 New Orleans participants. However, this is an unprecedented situation for the association, and it will require complex accounting procedures to track refunds, rollovers and reallocations. Please know that we are committed to doing so in a timely, fair, efficient, and accurate manner.
Thank you for allowing us time to evaluate all the facts and weigh all the options.