WPA’s Statement on the Postponement of the WPA Conference
March 18, 2020
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, travel restrictions imposed by our member institutions, and out of an abundance of concern for our presenters and attendees, the Board of the Western Psychological Association voted to postpone the originally scheduled 2020 conference (April 29 – May 2, 2020) to October 29 – November 1, 2020. The conference venue remains the Hyatt Regency San Francisco.
The decision to postpone the conference was, in part, the result of the following reasons:
- The uncertainty of the COVID-19 situation with new cases being reported daily.
- Many of the universities and colleges in the region imposed travel restrictions which would have prevented members from attending.
- Drastic reductions in scheduled air service would restrict the ability for our members to travel.
- The City of San Francisco banned all large group gatherings and issued orders for citizens to shelter in place.
- A growing number of WPA members would have been unable to present either as a result of travel complications or out of health concerns.
Registration Fees, Refunds, and Incentives
If you have registered for the conference, your registration will carry over to the new dates of the conference. In addition, the refund deadline will be extended to September 30, 2020. Similarly, the early registration fees will be extended to September 30, 2020 and are significantly less than the on-site registration fees.
Recognizing that attending two conferences in the same academic and fiscal years may be challenging for some members, the WPA Board would like to extend a discount to all who preregister and pay for the 2020 conference. A discount of up to 50% (maximum value of $45) will be available towards your 2021 conference preregistration. In both cases, the discount will only be offered and available to those who preregister and complete payment before the established deadlines.
Any cancellation request after September 30, 2020 will not be honored. Requests received before the deadline will be refunded consistent with the refund policies already in place on the WPA Convention – Refund Policy web page.
Because of the tremendous amount of work involved in rescheduling the conference, we request that anyone wishing for a refund contact us after April 15, 2020. If you have already requested a refund and it has not been processed, please contact us again after April 15, 2020. Please allow us to process your refund rather than request a chargeback or refute the charges with your credit card company as this will result in additional costs to the association and delay our ability to process a refund.
Please note that membership fees are separate from the conference fees and are not refundable. However, your membership rate will continue to be honored for the 2020 conference even though it will be held in a new membership year.
Hotel Cancellation and Travel-Related Issues
The Hyatt Regency San Francisco has informed us that they will automatically cancel all reservations that were made as part of the WPA block of rooms. That is, rooms reserved through the link on the WPA website will automatically be canceled and will be confirmed via an email from the hotel. If you made reservations with the hotel separately or you booked a room at another hotel, you will need to cancel those reservations individually.
For the October 2020 conference, the hotel has agreed to honor the prenegotiated rate of $269 per night extending three days before and three days after the conference. We would encourage members to rebook at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco as staying at the conference hotel helps reduce the costs associated with event space needed for the conference. This space is provided to us without charge provided that the group stays a minimum number of reserved nights during the span of the conference.
An updated reservation link will be posted to the website within the next few days and we will provide members with a notice once the link goes live. Please note that WPA is not responsible for any fees associated with the postponement of the conference. Please contact your travel providers directly to make any necessary changes and/or to cancel your travel arrangements. Most travel providers are waiving cancellation and change fees as a result of these uncertain times.
Presenter Information
All accepted submissions will be moved forward to the new conference dates and will remain on the same day of the week as assigned and new notices will be sent confirming this information. In addition, the submission system has been reopened to allow presenters to revise their submissions as needed. If necessary, presenters may also withdraw their submissions through the submission system.
To log into the system, use the following links:
- Click here for Papers and Posters
- Click here for Symposia
For those that must withdraw their submissions, we will be exploring opportunities for presenters to share their research online. We will provide more details once they are available.