NASBITE Cancels 2020 Annual Conference/National Small Business Exporter Summit

Due to the evolving concerns around the COVID-19 virus, and in accordance with health guidance from the CDC, WHO, and the state of Maryland, NASBITE International’s Board of Governors has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 National Small Business Exporter Summit, 2020 Annual Conference and Pre-Conference events scheduled for March 23-27, 2020 in Annapolis, Maryland. NASBITE is committed to the health and safety of our members, which is our top priority.

Attendees holding confirmed room reservations with The Graduate Annapolis within the NASBITE room block will have their room reservations canceled with no penalty and will receive email confirmation of the cancellation as long as an email address was provided to the hotel at the time of reservation. If your room reservation was confirmed as part of the NASBITE room block, no further action is needed by you to cancel your reservation.

Those attendees who reserved guest rooms outside of the NASBITE room block or at a different hotel will need to cancel their reservations directly with the hotel.

Although the events will not proceed as planned in Annapolis, the Board is currently reviewing options to offer a virtual version of most activities. Please bear with us as we work through these challenges. We will follow up shortly with options for your consideration.

We invite you to share what your own organization is doing to manage the issue by emailing us at info@nasbite.org

NASBITE will be in touch regarding Conference registration fees and refunds. If you have questions about airline fee waivers, available refunds, reduced flights and schedule changes, please contact your airline directly or visit their website for information.

For additional questions, please contact Diane Schafer, Director of Meetings for NASBITE, at diane.schafer@nasbite.org

Travel Information

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is closely monitoring the current outbreak of COVID-19 virus and is actively working to ensure that the most up-to-date CDC guidance is quickly and accurately disseminated to local partners.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Information about COVID-19 in the United States: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/index.html
• World Health Organization (WHO) Coronavirus Advisory Information: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public
• ASAE Issue Roundup: Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19): https://www.asaecenter.org/resources/roundup/issue-roundup-coronavirus

The current recommended precautions to avoid exposure to the virus are the same precautions you would take to avoid the flu. To keep everyone safe:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (must contain at least 60% alcohol to be effective).
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick (applies to office staff) and do not return to work until you have been fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medication for at least 24 hours.
• Cover your coughs or sneezes with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash; if tissues aren’t available, cough or sneeze into the inside of your elbow.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19, but there is a vaccine for seasonal influenza, which is recommended for all persons over the age of 6 months.

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Questions?

For questions, please email info@nasbite.org or contact Diane Schafer, Director of Meetings – diane.schafer@nasbite.org