PORTLAND, OREGON, US — The International Association of Operative Millers has canceled its annual conference and expo which was planned April 6-10 in Portland, Oregon, US.

The Grain Elevator and Processing Society has postponed its annual Exchange, which was scheduled March 21-24, to July 16-19 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, US.

Organizers of both events said due to the evolving concerns around the coronavirus, it was best for the safety and health of all involved to postpone and cancel.

IAOM President David Jansen also said the declaration of the virus as a pandemic, company-imposed travel restrictions on employees and the Oregon governor’s ban on gatherings with more than 250 people made it impossible to “effectively execute an April event.”

“Driven by our responsibility to produce a great event and best serve the interests of the milling community, we made the decision to cancel the event in 2020,” Jansen said. 

This is only the second time in the history of the event that it has been canceled. The other time was in 1945 during World War II.

IAOM will process all registration for refunds and reminded attendees to cancel any hotel reservations.

The IMEF Auction will continue through the Handbid app through April 9. Additional information will be available soon about the fundraising event. The IAOM board of directors will meet virtually on April 6, where they will vote on the proposed bylaw amendments.

IAOM will celebrate its 125^th Anniversary Conference & Expo starting on April 13, 2021, in Little Rock, Arkansas, US.

GEAPS is rescheduling all events and meetings in conjunction with Exchange. Registrations from the original schedule automatically carry over to the new dates. GEAPS is also working through several contingencies with the official conference hotel room block.

“This was a very difficult decision and we appreciate the continued support of our members, exhibitors and the industry,” said Steve Records, GEAPS executive director. “We remain committed to producing Exchange at its usual high standard to achieve GEAPS’ mission and expand the network of agricultural professionals sharing knowledge and information.”

GEAPS will announce an updated education schedule in the future.  The new dates overlap with the GEAPS Leadership, Education and Networking Workshop. That event is cancelled, and workshop speakers will be assimilated into the new Exchange 2020 schedule.

For attendees and exhibitors who had already registered or booked rooms for the event, GEAPS will follow up directly with next steps.