All ticket holders, players, and vendors for the Disc Golf Con convention in February were notified by email on Wednesday, January 12th that the convention is being postponed until next year. After all of the many weeks of planning and work to put together the first fan-based disc golf convention, we’ve had our intense efforts thwarted by the new, explosive surge of the Covid-19 Omicron variant. After this last weekend’s headlines, the resort venue as well as several attendees and vendors started to express concern about holding a convention when there is so much uncertainty about travel and public health right now. When we started making our plans months ago, we felt like the pandemic was taking a turn for the better as vaccinations were increasing, cases were dropping, and travel was becoming easier. We have worked hard up to the last minute to spread the news and build a great event. Now we’re disappointed to have to wait another year to host this event.
– THE MAIN CONCERNS –
COVID-19 Uncertainty: With the last week bringing the highest number of Covid-19 infections in the USA since the pandemic began, we don’t know when the peak will be reached and when the cases will dramatically decline. While indoor mask mandates and vaccination requirements are already in place in Clark County, Nevada for conventions, we don’t know when or if those policies will change. We received a notice from the resort Monday to be aware that events might be negatively impacted or even asked to reschedule due to the new spike in Covid-19 cases.
Our Desire for a Large, Successful Event: Maybe we are a little bit ambitious, but we have wanted this convention to be a large, memorable experience for everybody who participates. We want it to get bigger and bigger every year. With the amount of fear that is currently mounting in the travel industry, there will be a negative impact on attendance. Many airlines are cancelling flights daily because their crews are sick and that might become a big problem for some people who are participating in the convention. These conditions are diminishing the chance of a large, primarily indoor event like this one to have a good crowd. Other established conventions recently held in Las Vegas have seen a dramatic drop in attendance.
Financial Risk: If elements beyond our control end up diminishing the attendance numbers, then not only does Infinite Discs face a large financial loss by running the convention, but all of the awesome brands and vendors who have planned to attend would lose their ability to recoup the expense of their travel and the cost of moving their merchandise across the country. While we know and accept our own financial risks, we do not want to put all of our awesome vending partners at financial risk if attendance is poor.
Everybody’s Health: Most of all, after our meetings with the Disc Golf Con planning committee, we felt like it was not in the best interest of the staff and all attendees to hold an event with a lot of indoor interaction if there was a chance that it could send people home feeling sick. For most people, the effects of an Omicron infection are not too severe. However, if there is any chance that somebody becomes severely ill, hospitalized, or worse, because we insisted on pushing through with our plans, we would feel horribly about it.
– WHAT IS BEING DONE –
The Event is Postponed to 2023: The Disc Golf Con is being moved to the same time, same place next year. That is currently the plan. We ABSOLUTELY 100% BELIEVE IN THIS EVENT. We want a fan-focused convention to happen. We want it to become a regular event that fans can anticipate every year. We simply have chosen to move the event down the road a year and hope for an end to the pandemic in 2022. We’re now planning Disc Golf Con for February 2023.
Ticket Holders are Being Refunded: All of those who purchased tickets to the event or to the flex start tournaments will be refunded in the coming days. While the event is postponed, we do not desire to hold onto anybody’s money for such a long time. So we have chosen to issue full refunds and then reboot ticket sales for the new date later in the season. Those who purchased tickets for this year will be notified FIRST when tickets go on sale for 2023, and they will be given an unmatched discount for being the first people to support the event.
Concerning Hotels and Flights: Those who made travel plans can get refunds for hotel rooms and can contact airlines about refunds or flight vouchers. With the pandemic causing disruptions, hotel and flight cancellations are very common and most bookings are absolutely refundable or able to move to a future date. We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused to those who have planned to travel.
The Las Vegas Challenge Tournament is Still ON: Just to make it very clear, the Disc Golf Con and the Las Vegas Challenge are different events. The Las Vegas Challenge HAS NOT been cancelled or postponed at this time. It is a primarily outdoor event and works in partnership with the DGPT. We encourage everybody who has planned or who is considering to attend to continue to support the Las Vegas Challenge. Infinite Discs is a sponsor of the event and wants it to be a huge success. The TD’s for the event have been incredibly supportive and helpful and we do not want them to feel any negative impact from our concerns and decisions. For any guidance on attendance to the LVC, please follow their website HERE.
– PRESSING FORWARD –
Now that we’ve had to make the difficult decision to postpone the event, we are looking forward to next year. We want to build the event to be a huge hit in 2023. We will not surrender on the Disc Golf Con concept because of the current challenges, but will use this opportunity to make it even more fun. The upcoming convention will be a memorable experience for fans, players, and collectors.
Thanks for your support and understanding!
