CORROSION 2020 Officially Canceled

Yesterday (May 11), NACE International, The Corrosion Society announced via press release that its CORROSION 2020 Conference and Expo was officially canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The conference was slated to take place June 14-18 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. NACE reports that more than 400 exhibiting companies and more than 6,000 people from 61 different countries were slated to attend the 2020 conference.

Conference Cancellation

According to the release, the NACE International Board of Directors reached the decision to cancel as a response to the ongoing spread of COVID-19 and continued danger it poses to public health and safety.

Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, the conference was originally scheduled to take place March 16-19, but was postponed at the beginning of March based on guidelines available at that time from the U.S. Government, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.

NACE confirmed that the floorplan and layout for the event would stay consistent for the June conference. However, exhibitors requiring refunds for the event could either donate to the NACE Foundation, delay their attendance to CORROSION 2021 or have their CORROSION 2020 exhibitor fee refunded. Similar protocol was provided for slated attendees of the conference and expo as well.

However, since the postponement, the COVID-19 pandemic has only escalated with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott recently issuing an executive order that failed to change prior orders prohibiting mass gatherings and events. The executive order also includes protocols to minimize social gatherings and in-person contact with people who are not in the same household.

“As difficult as this is to accept, we simply cannot safely host our annual conference this June,” said NACE International CEO Bob Chalker. “No one worked harder to make this event happen than the staff and member leaders of NACE. Up until today we have been working to ensure our 2020 event in Houston would be our best yet. However, we understand these circumstances are beyond our control and this is the best way to protect our attendees, staff, and Houston community.”

“We want to thank our exhibitors and attendees for their patience and enduring support,” said Chalker. “NACE staff is already working on creating an incredible event for 2021 in Salt Lake City and we look forward to reuniting our corrosion community next April.”

CORROSION 2021 is slated to take place in Salt Lake City in April 2021..