2021 Australian Cotton Conference Postponed

It is with deep regret and disappointment that Cotton Australia and ACSA have decided to postpone the Australian Cotton Conference on the Gold Coast for another year, until August 2022.

The Boards of both organisations met this week to make the final difficult decision, which came down to two key reasons:

• The significant financial risk exposure to both not-for-profit organisations
• Uncertainty about the type and quality of event that could be conducted, given the restrictions currently and possibly in place

The Boards are currently considering some smaller, regional events for this year that would take the place of Conference, so that we may still come together as an industry.

This was a very difficult decision and it’s made us realise just how important and valuable the Cotton Conference is to our industry.

However the current climate we’re living with – border closures, hot spots, social distancing, venue restrictions, caps on numbers, international and inter-state travel limits and lockdowns that can occur at any moment – has meant the risk is too great that the Conference may not go ahead or be severely limited in some way.

We are hoping that by August 2022 the COVID-19 vaccine program will be in place, borders will be open, international travel may have resumed and we can put on the calibre of event that our delegates, sponsors and exhibitors have come to expect.

The Australian Cotton Conference is a flagship event in Australian agriculture, made possible by significant contributions from our sponsor partners to keep registration costs down and to attract high profile speakers. Our Boards also felt we owed it to these companies to deliver an event that met their expectations of delegate numbers and quality.

No-one is more disappointed than Cotton Australia, ACSA, the Cotton Conference Committee and our contractors that work very hard to put on a great show every two years. We hope that we can see you all on the Gold Coast in 2022 with the pandemic much better under control globally. In the meantime we wish you a safe and prosperous 2021.

Hamish McIntyre
Chairman
Cotton Australia

Michael O'Rielley
Chairman
ACSA