Edinburgh-based virtual summit platform, HeySummit, has announced that it’s offering free accounts for in-person conferences, summits, and events that are being affected by the coronavirus outbreak.
“We’ve been getting queries from event organisers all around the world who are worried that they’ll have to cancel their physical conference because of concerns about Corona,” CEO Robert Gelb has said, “It’s a terrible situation where something that’s taken months or years of preparation can suddenly be at risk. We want to do our part to help.”
Physical conferences and summits can cost tens of thousands of pounds to organise and run, and many heavily rely on sponsorship and ticket sales to break even.
HeySummit, a virtual summit platform, is offering to help quickly transition a physical conference or summit into a virtual one and is giving access to their platform free of charge for any impact-driven event that is planned for the next few months.
“It’s not fair that so much stands to be lost as a result of the Coronavirus. Not just the resources spent in planning and organisation, but in the value that an event brings to attendees,” Gelb adds.
The company is pledging to help physical events come up with a transitional plan within three days, and will provide their assistance and platform for free to those affected. Event organisers are asked to write to hello@heysummit.com for more information.