Update on the ISM Annual Conference  

Dear ISM Members, Partners, Volunteers and Attendees,

Thank you for your patience and understanding while ISM leadership and team have been closely monitoring the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. We take pride in delivering the world’s largest and best supply management conference, and in continually challenging ourselves to raise the bar every year. This year was shaping up to be no exception.

However, we must always make the health and safety of our members, attendees, volunteers, employees, suppliers and the professional community our highest priority.

Accordingly, we have made the decision to cancel the ISM2020 Annual Conference planned for April 26-29 in Boston, Massachusetts. There was a clear need to take action after reviewing the latest facts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the declaration of a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), and the state of emergency declared by Massachusetts Governor Baker, including a ban on large gatherings.

Effective immediately through at least June, ISM will not hold live events but instead will deliver education and training in online and virtual modes. Please look for additional communication from the ISM team in the coming days, along with information on processing refunds.

Everyone at ISM understands and appreciates the time, effort, and resources that you have put into preparing for this event. I want to particularly thank our Conference Leadership Committee, speakers, presenters, and volunteers for the hundreds of hours of effort you have put in this year – as in every year – to ensure that our conference provides the deepest, most relevant, most current supply management content of any event in the world.

At ISM, we believe it is in challenging times like these that the power of our community shines through. While these are unprecedented and difficult times for all of us as individuals – and our families, friends, and loved ones – our community bears the additional special burden of being on the front lines of mitigating the global supply shock that is rippling through companies, countries, and the global economy. Now more than ever we stand together to see this difficult time through, both personally and professionally.

While the ISM staff is, effective tomorrow, voluntarily engaging in a remote work posture, we want you to know that we will not cease in our efforts to continue to bring you the research, insights, guidance, expertise, and information you need to navigate these uncharted waters.

In the meantime, be safe and stay healthy.  

Tom Derry  

Chief Executive Officer
Institute for Supply Management