Voice Global Postponed to June 17th

Voice Global was scheduled for June 9th but conference organizer Pete Erickson informed attendees and sponsors yesterday in video posts that it will now take place on the 17th. The funeral for George Floyd is scheduled for June 9th and Erickson concluded that it was not an appropriate day to hold the online conference. Floyd died in police custody last month and the widely covered tragedy has led to ongoing protests throughout the U.S.

Erickson, the CEO of conference organizer Modev, said in his video statement, “June 9th will be George Floyd’s funeral and that is not the right day for use to host Voice Global…We’ve decided to move the conference back to June 17th. And, while it’s only eight days later, I think it gives some time and some space for us when we do come together to share our ideas and the ways that we can create a better world…Thanks for understanding and I hope you join us on the 17th.” Erickson’s full video message to attendees is included below.

Another Disruption to the Voice Conference Calendar

Countless conferences have been canceled worldwide due to the coronavirus pandemic. The voice industry has been directly impacted as well. Erickson announced last month that Modev’s signature in-person voice industry event, Voice 2020, scheduled for October, will be shifted to virtual. He went even further saying that Modev will focus exclusively on virtual online events until there is a viable vaccine that can significantly reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission or other evidence suggests the risks have substantially declined.

Modev is already collaborating with Google on Voice Talks which is a monthly streamed program related to voice industry topics. Erickson said Modeiv is also preparing to add other online activities in the coming months to facilitate community engagement.

Voice Global was originally conceived as a 24-hour online conference in 2019 well before pandemic concerns upended the in-person conference industry. The timing and format seemed tailor-made for our era of limited movement and Zoom habits. However, the world is complex and interconnected. There is always a risk that plans will be changed due to developing events. Erickson and the Modev team acted decisively to account for a situation beyond their control. And, because no one was traveling to Voice Global the last-minute schedule change will be easier to accommodate.

I will be presenting at Voice Global on June 17th and hope to see you online that day. You can register here. Until then, all the best from team Voicebot.

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