Due to the uncertainty of air travel over Europe, the European Lubricating Grease Institutes board made the tough call yesterday to postpone its Annual General Meeting in Kiev, Ukraine, from April 24-27 to Oct. 23-26.
Only the dates of the meeting have changed, ELGIs Carol Koopman emailed registrants yesterday. The hotel has agreed that the same rates will apply for the rescheduled meeting in October, and there will be no [hotel] penalties.
Airport closures caused by the unpredictable cloud of volcanic ash blanketing much of Europe, said Koopman, could prevent ELGI staff, speakers and delegates from reaching the meeting, or could leave attendees stranded in Kiev. In addition, she added, some companies are restricting employee travel.
As the safety of our members is a priority, the board feels that postponing the event is the best course of action, Koopman said. “The chairman and the board of the ELGI are devastated having to postpone the ELGI conference at this late stage.We appreciate[registrants] understanding the difficult situation we are in with travelling in Europe, and hope that[they] support rescheduling the event in October.”