NamesCon Europe 2021 had been tentatively planned for the Summer, with the hope the conference could be held in Hungary if the trajectory of the Covid pandemic changed. While things seem to be improving in some places, it is still not safe enough to hold an in-person conference.
This morning, NamesCon organizers announced the Europe conference has been cancelled for 2021. Here’s the announcement I received a short while ago:
“Today’s a sad day—we have to cancel NamesCon Europe 2021!
Since Hungary still has a high rate of COVID infections and in-person gatherings are not allowed, we cannot produce NamesCon Europe in Budapest in July. Nobody can predict when things will improve and our recent NamesCon survey showed a high reluctance to travel, so planning this intimate in-person gathering didn’t make sense. Pandemics suck.
We’re not setting a new date for NamesCon Europe just yet, while we observe the situation from the safety of our home workspaces (just like you). Meanwhile, we’re planning our upcoming roster of events, both in-person and online—of course we will keep you updated each step of the way. We can’t wait to see you!
Meet your friends at CloudFest!
If you crave connection with fellow digital professionals, please be our guest at CloudFest Online 2021. We’re including a link to free registration.
From March 23-25, learn more about cloud computing than you thought possible, and see how the domain name industry fits in. (You’ll spot some familiar faces, too!)Stay safe and healthy, and we hope to see you at CloudFest!”
I sent the NamesCon team links to the official HU announcements (not hat they would not have been tracking it themselves, but as a prompt to get a reply on if it could go ahead) a few weeks ago. Whilst HU is “open” gatherings are restricted in size etc which would make it _nearly_ impossible to operate.
Plus of course many may not be able/willing/prepared to travel right now – so it’s the right decision, and at least it’s enough time for me to get flights moved about this time !
I do look forward to seeing the NC attendees in person at somepoint, IMHO there is a lot more benefit and education from the event than just the sessions – deals to be done, new friends to make, and suppliers to catch up with.
Not sure why they ever announced this as an event, should have been online. Will be 2 years before any international in person domain conference happens.
The people orchestrating this coronahoax need to be cancelled. Permanently. Enough is enough.