The IEEE Power & Energy Society has issued a statement in the light of the impact of the Coronavirus, assuring that this year's T&D Conference and Expo scheduled for April 20-23 will go on as planned.

The 2020 IEEE PES T&D Conference and Exposition continues to be on track to have another successful event. We will continue to Power Forward to provide a high-quality conference for the thousands of registered attendees and over 700 exhibiting companies that have committed to attend the conference in person. 

In 2018, 86% of the registrants were from North, Central and South America, and we are projecting the 2020 registration numbers to remain strong. With everyone's health and safety in mind we want to assure you that we are closely monitoring the evolving situation and following all guidance and recommendations being made by local and national authorities as well as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.

Coronavirus impact on attendance:

There has not been a significant impact on registrations. In fact, we are pleased to announce our new Utility Saver Package (10 utility employees for $1,000) has currently sold over 100 packages and continues to grow. This is great news for IEEE PES and for our exhibiting companies who want to see more utility attendees. While we know attendance from affected countries will be reduced for 2020 due to travel restrictions, these registrants accounted for less than 5% of overall attendance in 2018.

In regards to exhibiting companies, we have been informed that some companies from countries that are currently under travel restrictions will be unable to exhibit, while others may utilize staff or sales representatives/distributors from other countries with knowledge of their products and services to represent them.

Could IEEE PES T&D be canceled or postponed?

We are confident, given the information currently available, that we will move forward with the T&D show as scheduled. We are taking extra precautions, while the City of Chicago, McCormick Place, Visitors Authority, federal and state governments, the Airport Authority, hotels and resorts, as well as other major event organizers are working together to monitor and mitigate Coronavirus risks.

For additional information visit ieeet-d.org or email TDGeneral@ieee.org