All conventions will have to cancel for 2020. It is the only way to be safe.
Either the virus has died down enough to allow full regular activity to resume by early-mid July (when people, especially vendors) will have to make a go/no-go decision, and all restrictions have been lifted, or the convention will need to be cancelled, either by GC itself, or by government directive.
Most of the discussion here is people shouting into the wind, and getting distorted echos back. Repeating the same uninformed opinion 5 times does not suddenly make it more valid. No one knows exactly how this disease is going to progress, not even the supposed experts. Any speculation here, by people who are not even amateurs in epidemiology or microbiology, on what is going to occur 3-4 months from now is utterly pointless. Quoting from some sort of "official" source means diddly, as the picture is changing faster than the officials are keeping up.
As far as those concerned about Gen Con LLC., the company itself, taking a major hit, at least that's something beyond the echo chamber. However, GC is not run by idiots; they have to have some sort of blanket cancellation insurance. Forget the completely unexpected Coronavirus. What about perfectly normal events like fires, earthquakes, tornadoes? No convention 1/10 its size would not insure itself against forced cancellation.
As to any refund policies, I'm sure Gen Con has probably started working them out, but they're not going to announce anything until the convention is actually cancelled, so really, stop asking about them. They're certainly not going to discuss them in this forum until they are official.
About the only useful things in this thread have been actual news about cancellations/postponements, information from GC itself, and the occasional bits of humor (Bubble Boy was a nice touch).
So really, CTFO and stop this endless hamster wheel. Whatever is going to happen, will happen, and the 200+ posts in this thread will have absolutely no bearing on it.
The virus IS going to be still circulating in August. That doesn’t mean that a convention cannot happen IF changes are made to make it safer. That is limiting capacity and fever checks.
If no steps at all are taken, then there is no chance of an August convention. Because it wouldn’t be remotely safe. Sorry to be the realistic one. But Gencon needs to figure out how to restrict numbers in the hall, and have fever checks. The virus isn’t going to be magically gone people.
Okay, it's clear that a few of you are just going back and forth with the same arguments and not offering anything new to the discussion. It's why I closed the last thread and it's the same people doing it on this one. If it continues I'll just issue forum bans as opposed to locking the thread.
Mike Boozer Customer Service & Event Team Manager Gen Con LLC
Squire, please stop reading things into what I am typing. I have mentioned nothing about eliminating the virus, not by any time frame. I have even indicated that it might never go away entirely, and might be a seasonal virus heading forwards. I'll say this one last time, and then I'm going to drop the issue. And I'm only saying it because I like you and I want to make sure we understand each other and there aren't hard feelings.
My position is this--the time to resume 'normal activities' is not when there is absolutely no trace of COVID-19 anywhere in the world. There are still cases of bubonic plague in the US every year, and we live normal lives despite that. And again, one very real possibility is that COVID-19 never goes away, and is seasonal, like the flu is. If that's the case, should all conventions from now till eternity have distancing and temperature checks? :)
What are the possibilities? At risk of just repeating: 1) The pandemic has *eased* (not 'been eliminated') to the point that normal things like conventions can happen. If so, then there is no need for social distancing. Or, 2) the pandemic has not eased to that point, in which case conventions should not happen. Here's the new part: Could there be a middle ground, where conventions are okay but where we should space everyone 6 feet apart and check temps at the door? No. The need for the latter two would indicate that conventions are not okay. That is my position. You are free to disagree, but I want to make sure you understand my point. I am not, and have never been, claiming that COVID will 'be eliminated' by Gen Con. My position is nuanced, and lumping it in with other positions doesn't work. The threshold for 'resume activities', whenever that comes, will *not* be when there is no more COVID-19 anywhere. (But it won't be Easter, that's for **** sure.)
So, anyway, that's all I'm going to say. Not in a spiteful "must have the last word" sort of way, but to do what Mike says we should do and stop going round and round (I admit I can do that sometimes, so sorry everyone). But I don't want hard feelings, so I just wanted to clarify. And apologize if I came across harshly to anyone, I can do that sometimes too. I have made my points, and I will grit my teeth and allow people to say things I think are wrong on the internet. If I have to. But it may involve heavy drinking at times to cope.
Sorry everyone.
[img]https://nebula.wsimg.com/226b3ab9d42086eb1eb144ce89ff064d?AccessKeyId=BD074F472039A8909E01&disposition=0&alloworigin=1[/img]
Check out the current projections: https://covid19.healthdata.org/projections
If these prove to be at all accurate, COVID-19 will be in the rear view mirror by June, and there will be no reason to cancel GenCon.
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Oooh, you can do forum bans now!? I hope that explains why some of the extreme vitriol from the forums in the past seems to be gone now.
Not sure any other post has moved in a month.
The fact that no one has cancelled any downtown hotel rooms though (just checked) seems to indicate a wait and see attitude as opposed to a flat out too worried to go no matter what.
What more needs to be posted? We covered everything at this point.
Someone please start a new post :)
G
Will people be washing their hands more, yes, but this isn't a Gencon thing. Will businesses have hand sanitizers at entrances and other locations, probably yes and again not a Gencon thing. Beyond that, who knows what other changes will happen (if you know for sure what other changes are coming, let me know so i can make some investments).
Do not invest in the cruise ship industry...
We should never forget how boundless human stupidity can be and that there might be a jumping of the gun in regards to social distancing and preventative measures.
I told a friend that if GenCon happens, I will reimburse him for the cost of his badge. This is a bet I'm hoping I lose. But given how much is unknown at this time about the progression of the disease, I'm going to be skeptical.
There's two ways to go about this. The first is to assume that GenCon will be cancelled and that we'll just have to wait until next year. If things work out and it does happen, it'll be a pleasant surprise. The other way is to assume that GenCon will happen and to plan like normal. If it doesn't happen, it'll be a bitter disappointment. Given the choice, I'm going to assume the former.