HI-AM 2020 and COVID-19 Updates – April 7, 2020

We have been closely monitoring the evolving situation with the COVID-19 outbreak over the past few weeks. After careful consideration, the HI-AM Board of Directors and Conference Organizing Team have decided there will be no physical event for HI-AM 2020 and the Conference will be delivered in an online format. Our team is working hard at the logistics involved to moving the Conference online. Presentation instructions, new submission deadlines, and updated conference dates and program are posted online as soon as they become available.

Registration and Refund: There will be no cost to join the online conference, however, registration is mandatory to help with planning. We will provide the registration link for the online HI-AM 2020 in the coming weeks. For those who have already registered for HI-AM 2020, the registration fee will be automatically refunded. You will receive a confirmation email from University of Waterloo after the refund is completed.

Sponsors and Exhibitors: HI-AM 2020 will either provide a refund or a credit toward our next conference scheduled for June 1-2, 2021 in Halifax, NS for sponsorship packages. Please contact us to confirm your choice by May 1, 2020.

Travel Arrangements: If you have booked a room in a hotel other than McGill’s New Residence Hall (NRH) or added any extra room nights to your booking at NRH, you need to contact the hotel directly to cancel your reservation.
HI-AM Network Members and Keynote Speakers: If you have booked flights or hotel rooms, you can get reimbursed for the expenses incurred. Please refer to reimbursement instructions sent to you before or contact us for further details.

We look forward to meeting you online in June 2020 and hope we can welcome the AM community to our 4th Conference in Halifax in June 2021 after the pandemic ends.

HI-AM 2020 and COVID-19 Updates – March 25, 2020

We realize that the entry restrictions to Canada, which have been extended until June 30th, 2020, will greatly impact the conference. We are working on alternate plans for the conference and will update the website and contact you once we have finalized the details.

HI-AM 2020 and COVID-19 Updates – March 18, 2020

We are aware of the current concerns about the COVID-19 and whether it might affect the conference plans. As of right now, HI-AM 2020 is still expected to take place as planned on June 25-26, 2020. We are monitoring the situation closely, and will inform our speakers and participants of any changes to the conference plans in the coming weeks. Our priority is the safety of all conference participants. Therefore, we will remain in contact with local and national health authorities and follow their recommendations in planning the conference events.

Travel Arrangements: In light of the fast-developing situation, we encourage HI-AM 2020 participants to consult the following sources as they make their travel arrangements:

• World Health Organization
• Government of Canada
• Government of Quebec
• Your local health authority

Some Canadian airlines are offering flexible booking change/cancelation until March 31, 2020. View the following links for more information:

• Air Canada
• WestJet

NSERC HI-AM Network members are encouraged to consider refundable flights when booking.

If you have reserved hotel rooms at New Residence Hall, you can cancel your booking by 12 pm (EST) two days prior to arrival, otherwise a charge equal to the first night stay plus tax will be charged to the credit card on the file. Individual cancelations must be made in writing or by calling 514-398-5200.
NOTE: If you are a member of the HI-AM Network and have requested hotel rooms at New Residence Hall, you can always change that by editing your registration. There is no need to directly contact the hotel.

Registration Cancelation: For the time being, the registration fees, dates, and cancelation policy remain unchanged, and the registrations are being accepted. In case of the postponement of the conference due to COVID-19, all registrants will be informed via email and speakers will receive new acceptance letters with revised dates and presentation times. In that time, should you wish to withdraw your presentation and cancel your registration, you can request to receive a full refund without any penalties or cancelation fee by June 24, 2020.

Thank you for your continued support of 2020 HI-AM Conference!