Eastgate, Chambers of Commerce Cancel Annual Meetings
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Eastgate Regional Council of Governments announced the cancellation of its Annual Meeting, scheduled for March 26.
The announcement follows Wednesday’s announcement by the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber that it would postpone its Annual Meeting, set for March 19. The chamber emailed the cancellation notice to members.
Lawrence County Regional Chamber of Commerce also postponed its annual dinner, set to be held Thursday night at the Scottish Rite Cathedral in New Castle.
“This was a difficult decision, but we have received numerous cancellations due to the concerns of the coronavirus and the recommendations to avoid large meetings,” said Lawrence County Chamber leaders in a statement. “Unfortunately, the timing of our dinner is falling at an unprecedented time where there is a great deal of scrutiny and emotion surrounding the potential spread of the virus and we took that into consideration.”
Eastgate’s cancellation – posted on its website and its Facebook page – follows the state of emergency declared by Gov. Mike DeWine in response to the COVID-19 outbreak and his recommendation that indoor gatherings in Ohio be cancelled or postponed.
The Eastgate event, “Valley on the Move,” was to feature information on distracted driving and the state of Ohio’s safety initiative, successes in regionalizing public transit, Mahoning River development and transportation innovation featuring DriveOhio, the Transportation Research Center and Lordstown Motors.
Those who already registered for the event will receive information shortly regarding their refund.
“We here at Eastgate extend our sympathies to all who have been impacted by the outbreak to date – either directly or indirectly,” Eastgate said in its statement. “The health and safety of our community is incredibly important to us. We are continuing to monitor updates from the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other relevant local, state and federal agencies regarding the situation.”
The Regional Chamber’s event was to feature a keynote address by Majida Mourad, vice president of government relations at Tellurian Inc., one of the nation’s leaders in energy and natural gas development. In addition, The Spirit of the Valley and Spirit of the Chamber awards were to be presented, and Regional Chamber President and CEO Tom Humphries was to provide an update on the chamber’s activities.
All registration payments made for the March 19 event will automatically transfer to the new date, which chamber officials are working to secure. The chamber has no plans to cancel or reschedule any future events at this time, but will remain vigilant if and as new developments occur.
Anyone with questions regarding their registration for the chamber event or wanting to request a refund should contact Chelsea Pascarella at 330 744 2131 ext. 1225, or [email protected].
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