Petroleum Equipment Institute, the leading international authority and source of information for the fuel and fluid handling equipment industries, has announced in the in light of developing circumstances, that it is cancelling two upcoming conferences: the Purchasing & Inventory Managers Conference, scheduled April 1-3 in San Antonio; and the PEI Women Conference, scheduled April 20-22 in Memphis, Tennessee.
A spokesperson for the PEI says "We do this with deep disappointment. Registrations and sponsorships will be refunded in full. During the past few days, concern has mounted rapidly about the COVID-19 coronavirus. The World Health Organization on Wednesday redefined the outbreak as a pandemic, President Trump later that day announced 30-day U.S. air travel restrictions from Europe, an increasing number of companies are instituting travel bans and restrictions and infectious disease experts are warning against large congregations of people. Our number one concern is the health and safety of PEI members, speakers, our partners, our colleagues and vendors. We have spent the past several weeks focused on safety. Our efforts have included a call with the White House and continuing dialogue with experts on health, safety and financial protections. COVID-19 is spreading quickly around the world. We want to get this message to you as soon as possible to minimize inconvenience. We sincerely regret any disruptions to your plans. We have made this decision reluctantly and after deep consideration. We recognize the dedication and importance of the PEI community. We thank you for your engagement and commitment to PEI".
PEI event cancellation Frequently Asked Questions
Which PEI events are cancelled? PEI has cancelled the Purchasing and Inventory Managers Conference, scheduled for April 1-3, 2020, in San Antonio and the PEI Women Conference, scheduled for April 20-22, 2020, in Memphis, Tennessee.
Why are these meetings being cancelled? PEI has been closely monitoring the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. The World Health Organization on March 11 redefined the outbreak as a pandemic, President Trump announced 30-day U.S. air travel restrictions from Europe, an increasing number of companies are instituting travel bans and restrictions and infectious disease experts are warning against large congregations of people. This action was further informed by concerns received from PEI attendees, cancellations of similarly sized conferences in the U.S. and the increased volume of confirmed cases of coronavirus throughout the country.
Will my registration be refunded? Yes. Everyone who has registered to attend either conference will receive a full refund within the next 30 days. Once your registration cancellation is processed, you will receive confirmation via email. You do not need to contact anyone at PEI to request a refund.
Will my sponsorship be refunded? Yes. PEI will refund the full sponsorship fee for each event.
Instead of a refund, can I have a credit toward another PEI event in the future? No. Attendees’ registration fees cannot be applied to future meetings or purchases.
Will my hotel room be cancelled automatically? If you were attending the Purchasing & Inventory Managers Conference and made your reservation through the online reservation portal within the PEI room block at the Courtyard Marriott San Antonio Riverwalk, your reservation will be automatically cancelled. If you booked your reservation through another service or at a different hotel, you will need to contact the service or the hotel directly to cancel. If you were attending the PEI Women Conference, you will need to cancel your reservation directly with the hotel. It will not be automatically cancelled. The number to call to cancel your reservation is 1-800-238-2000.
Will my airline ticket be refunded? The individual airlines have established their own policies on cancellations, change fees and refunds. You will need to contact your airline directly regarding your specific situation.
Will either conference be offered as an online-only event? No. Due to the heavy networking focus of these two conferences, they cannot easily be turned into online-only events.
Will the events be postponed to a later date in 2020? At this time, PEI is not rescheduling either event for a later date in 2020
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