WTUI conference to be virtual—again

The Western Turbine Users Inc. (WTUI) annual conference scheduled for March 2022 will be held virtually because of ongoing concerns regarding COVID-19.

The event was scheduled for the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California, USA.

“The decision to cancel the 2022 in-person conference by the board and officers is disheartening, and not taken lightly,” organizers said in a news release. “We strive to make WTUI events safe and successful. The 2022 conference will be virtually presented, and the next in-person conference will be held in March 2023 at the San Diego Convention Center.”

Organizers noted that the Long Beach Health Officer was requiring masking indoors in public settings and businesses regardless of vaccination status. The order also required all indoor and outdoor mega-event operators to ensure guests test negative or are fully vaccinated. Self-attestation cannot be used as a method to verify an attendee’s status as fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or as proof of a negative COVID-19 test result.

The uncertainty of the spread of COVID-19 and its variants presents a high risk to in-person conferences sponsored by WTUI, organizers said.

“Furthermore, we are now faced with the threat of virus variants and the current spikes that have manifested due to these variants,” organizers wrote. “What we thought would be the ending of the pandemic early this year still has the CDC closely monitoring the outbreaks of variants.”

Organizers said they polled the major sponsors of the conferences, many of which are international. Many stated that there is a travel ban issued by their companies and it is uncertain if and when their policy will allow any travel. As a result, the conference will produce a reduced attendance with poor in-person networking outcomes, the organizers said.

WTUI is a membership organization of GE LM2500, LM5000, LM6000, and LMS100 users, manufacturers, and suppliers. The organization is a California corporation funded through annual membership and conference fees. WTUI was founded in 1990 and has approximately 80 power plant facilities and represents over 100 suppliers.