26/02/2021
World TA Conference 2020 - what really happened
I can see online that the insolvency process about the World TA Conference 2020 has finally completed. As expected, the refunds are ridiculously small. No doubt there will now be more unpleasant and inaccurate information put out. I am fed up with those of us who worked so hard to organise, re-organise, and arrange postponement and an online conference being blamed for the actions of ITAA, EATA, UKATA, IARTA and FTAA.
Liquidation only happened because it was a UK legal requirement when those 5 associations announced they had cancelled the conference. They announced this in spite of the Organising Committee having arranged a no-cost postponement with the hotel and most of participants - that allowed those who wanted refunds to be given them in full. We and IDTA President were ignored when we begged them not to cancel. We told them that most money would go in liquidator fees. Their response was to set up a committee to engage with the liquidators, even though that just increased the fees because the liquidators charge extra for their time talking to them.
As soon as Covid emerged we started planning on-site, online and hybrid options. Then when it was clear only online would be possible, the associations withdrew their previous authorisation of it so many presenters withdrew including all keynote speakers. So we had to give up.
An independent enquiry, as requested of EATA in July 2020, does not appear to be happening. Perhaps the EATA Executive Committee are conducting it themselves, as they appear to be doing for a similar request to consider the relationship of the Ethics Advisor to the EATA Executive Committee. Or perhaps they have decided that it up to ITAA; in the EATA Council Minutes for July 2020, signed already by the President and General Secretary, EATA President is minuted as saying the ITAA is in the lead for World Conferences.
Julie Hay - formerly Chair of WTAC2020 Organising Committee and the remaining Director at the time of liquidation of the UK limited company that was set up with UKATA approval to protect UKATA from any financial liability
