React Finland

We've been following this year's COVID-19 (Corona virus) outbreak with both fear and anxiety. In addition to the cost on society, it has implications on conferences like React Finland. In this post, I want to clarify different scenarios on how the conference will play out depending on the progress of the crisis.

Possible scenarios#

1. Conference happens as planned - In the ideal scenario we would be able to run the conference as planned. That said, there are already signs that this might not happen.
2. Conference runs locally - In the case that there are global travel restrictions in place but it's still possible to organize the conference locally, we'll run the event as a local event while streaming the content. The workshops will run remote (online).
3. Conference runs online - In the case it's not possible to run the conference at all, we'll run it fully online. We'll go with this option in case the government of Finland declares a national emergency and forbids public events altogether.

In case we end up running the conference locally (1. or 2.), we'll make sure adequate measures are taken to protect our visitors as instructed by the local health authorities.

What about my money?#

Given we're aware you might have invested a lot of money to join our conference, here are the options when it comes to the tickets:

1. In case we'll have to go with the online option (either 2. or 3.) and you want to participate the online edition, we'll refund 50% of the ticket price to account for the reduced experience. The rule applies both to workshops and the conference itself. The workshop instructors will receive all ticket income instead of our usual 50/50 split to make up for the fact that we won't have to cover for the logistics.
2. Alternatively, we can transfer your ticket to the 2021 edition and refund the difference between your ticket price and the early bird ticket. Assuming we start pricing from 299 euros again, the difference would be counted against that value.

The key point here is that we still want to offer you a conference experience even if it means a reduced one.

Conclusion#

We'll keep an eye on the situation as it develops. We still want to run the conference even if it means altering the concept for this. It's an unfortunate situation for all and I hope we can find ways to get through the challenge as a community.