COVID-19 UPDATES
Last updated: July 5, 2020
First and foremost we hope everyone has been healthy and finding ways to enjoy what is undoubtedly a very unique summer.
We’d like to give you a sense for how we plan to approach the next four months leading up to CrimeCon 2020
(October 30th-November 1 in Orlando). Apologies in advance for the lengthy note, but,
TL;DR: The show will go on if we feel it can be done safely and in a way that does not negatively impact the weekend experience you’ve come to expect.
Here’s the longer version:
First, we’ve all seen how quickly things change and how no one really knows what will come next. Our takeaway from watching the last five months is that it pays to stay patient and adaptable.
Second, we know that “flexibility” and live events are usually at odds with each other. From us having to hire vendors weeks in advance, to speakers and attendees having to confirm travel plans—it’s difficult to take a completely laissez faire approach to convention planning.
Third, we’ve all seen how localized the issues caused by this virus can be. A couple of months ago Florida wanted New Yorkers to stay out… and now it’s the opposite. We understand that some areas of the country may seem to be in recovery while others are headed in the wrong direction—and that two weeks from now it could all change again.
So, what does it all mean for CrimeCon?
As organizers and producers it is our responsibility to deliver the best experience we can in a safe and fun environment. There is no doubt that this year, assuming we can host CrimeCon live, will be different. That’s okay, so long as we feel that we can still create a dynamic and educational experience worthy of your time and money.
That’s our bar, and, after discussions with key stakeholders, we’ve identified late August/early September as the target time period for us to make a decision on whether to proceed in person or pivot to an in-home experience. [Note: A digital event, if necessary, would not simply replace your badge. We will communicate all details and options if that pivot has to be made, but we understand that an online experience and a live experience are two very different things.] Once that decision is made — which will largely be dependent on what the host venue (the World Center Marriott) and public health officials tell us, as well as how other events and attractions in the Orlando-area are handling crowds, we will communicate our plan as well all of your options.
We are incredibly thankful for the patience everyone has shown as we all work through what will likely go down as the most challenging year in our careers. With so much going on in the world there has never been a more important time for the education, entertainment, and advocacy that CrimeCon delivers. We will do our absolute best to ensure that continues.
-Team CrimeCon
[*previous updates*]
Last updated: March 25, 2020
Hello! We are excited to announce that we’ve secured new fall dates for CrimeCon at the same amazing venue. CrimeCon 2020 will no longer be held May 1st-3rd and will instead take
place October 30th-November 1st. All badges will automatically transfer over to the new dates, there’s nothing you need to do. If you cannot make the new dates, or you have a current hotel reservation in our group, please see our full COVID FAQ page HERE
and follow the instructions.
Given the circumstances we are extremely excited about these new dates and that we’ll have plenty of time to produce our best event yet. By October we will definitely all be in need of a good long weekend of true crime...
Thanks to everyone for your patience. We’ve already heard from tons of speakers and pods who are excited about getting together this fall and we hope to see you there as well!
-Team CrimeCon
Last updated: March 24, 2020
Hi all, just a note that we are here working as hard and fast as possible. Obviously, if it were just up to us we would've had an announcement a week ago, but there are a lot of third parties involved, all of whom are overwhelmed both personally and professionally and are doing the best they can given the circumstances. Our small business is based in New York City, the epicenter of this outbreak domestically, so in addition to taking on this Herculean task we are also adapting to remote work and trying hard to take care of our employees and keep our staff together.
We will send our official announcement no later than 8p ET on Wednesday March 25th. This will be posted on our website (we'll include a link here) as well as on our social accounts. We'll also send it to all registered email addresses (please check your spam filters).
We are very excited about the path forward. Thanks so much for your notes of encouragement as well as your patience over the past couple of weeks, we believe it has paid off with a great result given the impossible circumstances we are all dealing with.
-Team CrimeCon
Last updated: March 20, 2020
It's been an extremely productive week working with our partners (most notably the World Center Marriott) and sponsors to determine our options. There are a couple more boxes that need to be checked by all of the various parties involved but we are aiming to have a firm announcement out to attendees early next week (the week of March 23rd). We are doing our absolute best to move quickly toward a resolution while also ensuring that once we communicate with you it will be with a complete and clear overview of the actions we are taking.
Last updated: March 18, 2020
Hi all! We hope you and your families and loved ones are all in safe place--that's what matters most right now.
We are working through all of the logistics on our end with all of our partners and are happy to report that we are nearing an announcement sooner than anticipated. It is our objective that when we communicate with you it will be with a complete and clear announcement containing definitive answers rather than something that creates more confusion.
As mentioned before, we will post the announcement on our website and social channels and will also send it to all attendees by email. Thanks for hanging in there with us...we are working hard to make sure that CrimeCon 2020 can still be the perfect respite and distraction for all of us who are in for a difficult year.
Last updated: March 16, 2020
We are aware of the latest statement from the CDC regarding events. This health emergency is affecting everyone, at every level of life, and obviously CrimeCon is a part of that. We are working hard to do our best for our attendees, speakers, podcasters, sponsors, exhibitors, and others--and that includes ensuring that we can provide a safe environment, not just for those on site but also for the community at large. That ability is now in serious jeopardy given how this outbreak has progressed.
We are still targeting no later than April 1st to make an official announcement that includes options for all attendees. Our attendees have been there for us since day one and we want to be there for all of you now--providing as many good options as possible. If we can announce something sooner we will, but obviously our planning incorporates many other third-parties over which we do not have control, most notably our host venue at the World Center Marriott in Orlando.
So many of you continue to reach out with words of support and encouragement for our small team. It means the world to us. We love what we do and no one ever thought we (or anyone else) would face a crisis as severe as this. Thank you for your patience as we all work through this unprecedented situation together.
-Team CrimeCon
