A statement regarding React Summit 2020 & the global Covid-19 emergency

Dear React Summit community,

In the past few weeks, our team has been closely watching the development of the global coronavirus outbreak. Even though the situation is currently not critical in the Netherlands, we understand that you might be concerned and we’d like to inform you that we continue working out all possible preemptive measures to protect our attendees’ health and safety.

We’ve internally put together a couple of possible scenarios that might play out in the coming weeks, and we’re doing everything to stay prepared for each of them. Meanwhile we advise you to book only refundable travel options until the end of next week when the situation will become clearer.

The possible outcomes we’re considering

Plan A

In the ideal scenario, the authorities manage to keep the outbreak contained and there are no disruptive travel restrictions — the conference will take place as originally planned. We’ll make sure adequate measures are taken to protect our visitors as instructed by the local health authorities, and we’ve already considered adding multiple health and hygiene procedures for extra protection.

For example, we’ll be screening the attendees’ body temperature upon entry, there will be complimentary hand sanitizer and face masks available for everyone, and we’ll be doing more frequent hygiene checks of the restrooms. Attendees showing any flu-like symptoms will be asked to not attend the conference and follow our live stream.

Plan B

In case the global outbreak continues and it’s not possible to run the conference at all, React Summit will be postponed to a later date (currently estimated for September 10 / 11, 2020) by which the situation should be resolved, and the lineup will be slightly altered based on speakers’ availability. We’ve already booked the venue and we will keep you informed about any changes as soon as possible. The key point here is that we’re aiming to deliver the same, great React Summit experience without compromises, but on the other dates.

Your conference tickets will be automatically transferred to the later date retaining original value and perks, unless you request a refund. In addition to the rescheduled event, we are considering running an alternative, smaller scale online conference on the original date (April 17), with the attendees with valid September tickets getting exclusive access to the online conference content via a streaming platform.

As for workshops, they will be run online-only on their original dates. We will ensure all trainers will be properly equipped and trained (most of that have solid experience running online courses) to adjust to the new format. Attendees will receive a partial refund, as we’ll drop catering and some other expenses. This format of workshops is only valid for Plan B.

In case you've already booked non-refundable travel / accommodation and the situation escalates, you’ll have high chances of being able to refund your expenses due to force majeure, depending on how fair your travel providers are.

Conclusion

We’re keeping an eye on the situation as it develops, and we’re holding frequent team meetings to discuss our options. We still want to run the conference even if it means altering the concept for this. It’s an unfortunate situation for all and we hope we can find ways to get through the challenge as a community.