All Scheduled 2020 AIAA Events Will Be Fully Virtual Written 10 June 2020
June 10, 2020 – Reston, Va. – The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) announced today that all scheduled 2020 events and forums will be held virtually.
“After talking with speakers, sponsors, presenters, exhibitors, and attendees, it is clear that transforming all scheduled AIAA events to fully virtual ones through the end of 2020 is the best course of action,” said Dan Dumbacher, AIAA executive director. “Many companies are restricting nonessential travel by their employees through the end of the year due to Covid-19. In addition, our international participants are facing severe travel restrictions for nonessential travel and quarantine when they arrive in the United States and again when they return to their home countries.”
Technical advancements are at the core of the aerospace industry and will be part of the future recovery from the current pandemic, Dumbacher said. AIAA forums are where aerospace leaders from industry, government, and academia convene to debate ideas, advance research, discuss policy and economic issues, and conduct business. AIAA will return to in-person events, which will include virtual components, as soon as the business environment allows.
In early April, AIAA announced that all of its forums going forward will contain virtual elements to ensure the aerospace industry always has a platform to discuss advancements. Since then, the Institute has introduced a successful series of webinars and podcasts and announced its first fully virtual forum, the 2020 AIAA AVIATION Forum, to be held 15–19 June.
In addition, the 2020 AIAA Propulsion and Energy Forum, 24–26 August, will be fully virtual. ASCEND, AIAA’s new space community event, also will be held virtually 16–18 November. More information about the events will be forthcoming.
Media contact: Michele McDonald, michelem@aiaa.org, 703.264.7542
About AIAA
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the world’s largest aerospace technical society. With nearly 30,000 individual members from 91 countries, and 100 corporate members, AIAA brings together industry, academia, and government to advance engineering and science in aviation, space, and defense. For more information, visit www.aiaa.org, or follow AIAA on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.