ARLA Conference postponed until September due to virus

The Association of Residential Letting Agents has postponed its conference until September.

In a statement to registered attendees last evening ARLA says: “After careful monitoring of the development of COVID 19 in the UK and around the world, ARLA Propertymark Conference & Exhibition 2020 has been postponed until 2 September 2020.

“This has been a difficult decision to make but we are expecting over 1,000 attendees for our upcoming conference and therefore it is vital that we take appropriate steps to prioritise your health and safety.

“A huge amount of work goes into preparing for conference from our contributors, sponsors, exhibitors, suppliers and staff; we would like to extend our thanks to all of them and look forward to collaborating with them on our new date.

“All existing conference registrations will be automatically transferred to the new conference date.

“We are confident that ARLA Propertymark Conference and Exhibition 2020 on 2 September at Excel London will continue to offer everything that those with existing bookings are hoping for.

“We have provided answers below to the questions that we think you will have and we will keep you updated as we progress towards our new conference date of 2 September 2020.

“If you have booked places at the conference on behalf of your colleagues and not provided their contact details, please pass this information on and refer them to the website.”

ARLA’s Q&As about the conference, sent to attendees last evening, are:

Is ARLA Propertymark Conference cancelled? No. Due to the scale of the event we have decided to postpone until 2 September 2020.

What do I do about my existing booking? We will take care of it. Your existing booking for the conference and exhibition will be automatically transferred to the new date.

What if I cannot attend the new date? We always have HD quality cameras capturing the day, this year we will give delegates who are not able to attend in person and have booked prior to 11 March 2020, the option to access a live stream. Those streaming the conference will still be part of the action, following all the speakers and contributing questions via Slido and your attendance will still qualify as continuing professional development (CPD).

What should I do about any existing travel or accommodation arrangements? Please check the cancellation policy of your booking. We have been speaking to one such local hotel who have agreed to move accommodation dates without penalty. While we cannot guarantee this, we hope that many accommodation providers local to ExCel, will allow flexibility in line with the national mood.