At least two lubricants industry conferences have been called off in the wake of Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.
Noria Corp., which was scheduled to open its Practicing Oil Analysis 2001 Conference today in Tulsa, Okla., put the event off until March 19-21. In addition, SAE International shelved its Fall Fuels and Lubricants Exhibition and Meeting, which had been scheduled for Sept. 24-27 in San Antonio, to combine it with the spring meeting. The spring meeting will be held May 6-8 in Reno, Nev.
SAE feared that domestic and international attendees of its conference would encounter air travel disruptions even by next week.
I think this is a prudent step to take, said Castrol North Americas John Demko, chairman of SAEs Fuels and Lubricants Division. Our country is in a crisis situation right now and its understandable that some people are uneasy about flying. And even for those who are willing to fly, many companies have placed travel restrictions and no one really knows when those are going to be lifted.
Noria, too, concluded that air traffic in the United States was not reliable enough to proceed with its meeting. In a written statement, the organization said it had to inform delegates and exhibitors of its plans by Sept. 13 and that goals for resuming normal traffic had been missed at that point. It also noted that many of those attending – including speakers and exhibitors — faced travel moratoriums imposed by their employers.
In the wake of the grave tragedy our country is enduring, we cannot provide a quality event, Noria said.
The Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association also is considering whether to hold its annual meeting as scheduled for Sept. 30 through Oct. 3 in Las Vegas. Officials said they expected a decision by today. For information, see ILMAs website: www.ilma.org
The Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers said it will hold its Tribology Conference, sponsored jointly with ASME International, as planned, Oct. 21-24 in San Francisco.