Dear Houston Corrosion Community,
The NACE Houston Section will be delaying all upcoming events (besides the May and August Rectifier Schools) until further notice – this will include the April 17th golf tournament and the monthly section meetings. We do not take this action lightly but in guidance from the city/state, CDC, WHO, we have made this decision. We appreciate your understanding and look forward to all being together again. I know I am not alone in saying that we hope this COVID-19 situation will soon be over and life can get back to normal (including fully stocked toilet paper!).
We here at NACE Houston are here to help. We know there are going to be ramifications for all of our businesses as travel is suspended and projects are delayed; as well as many of you managing your business vs. home life as kids are out of school. If we can do anything to assist in these times, please let us know.
Below is a message from NACE Headquarters which may we relevant to many of you. If you have any issues, please feel free to contact one of your NACE Houston board members and we will do our utmost to assist you.
Stay Safe Dear Friends,
NACE Houston Section Board
Brandon Neuberger brandon.neuberger@capitalinspectors.com
Jason Riggins JasonRiggins@berryglobal.com
Cindy Patton CindyPatton@berryglobal.com
Meghan Hodge meghan.hodge@akzonobel.com
Casey Jones cjones@wje.com
Nigel Strike Nigel.Strike@bwpipelines.com
Brent Phelps bphelps@rkk.com
Jane Brown jane@browncorrosion.com
In case you missed our previous message, please note we have postponed our annual CORROSION 2020 conference & expo until June 14-18, 2020. Due to increasing concerns about the spread of coronavirus we have taken this precaution to protect the health and safety of participants and staff.
Our First Service team is working to respond to all inquiries received by phone and email and we are continuously updating Frequently Asked Questions. Below are the top questions we’ve been receiving this week, other questions and answers can be found here.
Housing
Q: If I booked my hotel through the official housing provider, Conference Direct, how do I cancel my reservation?
A: All reservations made through the official housing block via http://nacecorrosion.org have automatically been cancelled. No action is required from attendees to process the cancellation. Cancellation confirmations have been sent from directly from hotels. Please keep in mind that this type of communication can often end up in a ‘spam’ or ‘junk’ folder so please ensure to review your email thoroughly.
Q: When Can I book my room for June 2020?
A:NACE is working with Conference Direct to set up the website with revised availability based on the new June dates. This information should be available for attendees to make new reservations for CORROSION 2020 by the week of March 30, 2020. If you have any urgent questions, please contact NACE@conferencedirect.com. Given the anticipated volume of inquiries, your patience is greatly appreciated as you may experience a delay in response time as we work through this process. You may also call (877) 305-5195 Monday- Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. EST.
Q: Will a housing company or travel agency reach out to me to rebook my room for the CORROSION 2020 conference in June?
A: No. All reservations made for the March conference have been cancelled by the hotels and cancellation confirmation emails have been sent to everyone. WARNING - If you are contacted by any third-party company or travel agency other than Conference Direct, this is a deceptive company known as ‘room poachers’ and are not affiliated with NACE International for housing. Once the new housing blocks are available for reservations in late-March, exhibitors and attendees will be required to book through those links. Conference Direct is the official housing partner for CORORSION 2020. Please visit www.nacecorrosion.org at the end of March to book your accommodations for CORROSION 2020 this June.
Registration & Exhibits
Q: If I already registered for the conference dates in March will my registration automatically roll over to June or do I need to register again?
A: You do not need to register again. Your registration will roll over to June.
Q: I’m currently scheduled to exhibit at CORROSION 2020. With the postponed event, will my booth space remain the same?
A: Yes, while the date of the conference and exposition has been postponed, the floorplan and layout for the event will remain the same. NACE exhibit staff will contact exhibitors with any changes in advance.
Attendee Q: I registered for CORROSION 2020 in March but I cannot attend in June, what are my cancellation options? / Exhibitor Q: How are refunds being handled for Exhibit Space?
A: NACE International is providing one of three options to individuals and exhibitors that are unable to attend the conference during June:
- Donate to the NACE Foundation – The NACE Foundation continues to be the only organization of its kind dedicated to preparing the future generation of corrosion professionals who will protect the world’s infrastructure from the effects of corrosion. The NACE Foundation invests in scholarships, training, and workforce development programs that affect the lives of students, teachers, and veterans. If interested, please contact firstservice@nace.org to request that your fee be applied as a tax-deductible gift to the NACE Foundation.
- Delay to CORROSION 2021 – If you are unable to attend/exhibit at CORROSION 2020 in June 2020, you can delay your registration until CORROSION 2021 scheduled to take place in Salt Lake City from April 18-22, 2021. Attendees, please contact firstservice@nace.org to request your deferral. Exhibitors, please contact foster@nace.org to request your deferral.
- ATTENDEES: Get a refund – If you are unable to attend CORROSION 2020 this June 14-18, please contact our First Service (firstservice@nace.org) team by March 27th to receive a full refund. After March 27th our standard cancellation policy applies.
- EXHIBITORS: Get a refund for your CORROSION 2020 Exhibitor Fee – If you are unable to attend CORROSION 2020 this June 14-18, please contact foster@nace.org by March 20th to receive a full refund. After March 20th our standard cancellation policy applies.
Q: When does registration reopen for June?
A: Registration will reopen on Monday, March 16 at www.nacecorrosion.org
NACE is a member-driven, nonprofit association and our entire team is dedicated to serving our members and corrosion professionals worldwide. We remain committed to providing valuable learning and business opportunities in the safest environment possible and will continue to do everything we can to ensure this event and any others we provide are carried forward under the best and safest circumstances.
We want to thank you all again for your patience, understanding, and support as we work through these efforts day-by-day.
NACE International’s First Service team can be reached at firstservice@nace.org or by phone at 1-800-797-6223 (U.S./Canada) or +1-281-228-6223 worldwide.