COVID-19 Update April 2, 2020
Hello VTC2020-Spring Delegate,
With the current COVID-19 global health crisis, the VTS Board of Governors has made the decision to convert the upcoming VTC originally planned for Antwerp into a fully virtual event. While not ideal, it is the prudent decision to ensure the safety and well being of all constituents.
As a current registrant for VTC2020-Spring, please take note of the following information regarding some necessary changes:
— The conference will take place as an on-demand, fully virtual event during its scheduled week.
— Only registrants will have access to the virtual conference.
— All authors will be required to complete a pre-recorded presentation of their paper(s) and instructions are attached.
— All authors will also be required to upload their pre-recorded presentation(s) to the ON24 commercial platform licensed by IEEE by 4 May and these details will be forthcoming once the virtual platform is completed.
— Tutorials will now be offered for free to each delegate during the entirety of the conference. Anyone who has already paid for a tutorial will be refunded the cost of their tutorial selection(s).
— Delegates who registered for additional social functions or extra copies of the proceedings will be refunded for these additional items.
VTS will also allow the following, which must be requested by 16 April.
— Spring delegates also planning to attend VTC2020-Fall in Victoria can request that their current spring registration be transferred to the fall conference (subject to approval). While authors who select this option will have the opportunity to participate and present their work in Victoria, they are still required to provide a pre-recorded presentation for the spring conference and to actively engage in any Q&A initiated by attendees. All papers remain as part of the spring conference proceedings and program and will enter the Xplore database as such.
— Any non-author registration can be cancelled without penalty until 16 April.
Note that tutorials, workshops, keynotes, industry panels, and technical sessions are still expected to be available to delegates. Question and answer interactions will be made possible by the use of live message boards, through which authors, presenters, and delegates are expected to monitor and engage.
One final point, the VTS Board has also approved partial refunds to the current registrants for VTC2020-Spring. As the planning and organization of VTC continues, VTS will work to minimize costs so as to try and maximize partial registration refunds. Since the organization of VTC2020-Spring is ongoing, more updates on refunds will be forthcoming.
Should you have any questions, feel free to email the Conference Administrators, Rodney Keele or Cerry Leffler, for assistance.
I look forward to meeting you virtually as well as in person once the future allows.
May you and your families remain safe and healthy.
JR
Professor J. R. Cruz
Director and Tilley Chair
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
The University of Oklahoma
For virtual presentation guidelines, please visit: https://events.vtsociety.org/vtc2020-spring/authors/special-message-from-vts-vice-president-of-conferences/
Corona Virus Update: 2-28-2020
Due to the wide extent of the impact from the Corona Virus, the Vehicular Technology Society will be relaxing its standard requirements for onsite presentation of papers for authors whose travel is adversely affected by the outbreak. In support of all authors, the following will now suffice for assuring paper publication in order of preference:
1) onsite presentation by first author or coauthor, or…
2) onsite presentation by a qualified substitute, or…
3) submission of a prerecorded presentation by first author, or a co-author, or both for authors whose travel is adversely affected by the outbreak.
Further details about Option (3) will be forthcoming. Please note that it is the intention to be flexible and helpful to everyone during this time of difficulty.
VTS is fully supportive of IEEE’s mission statement and we wish you and all people success in dealing with any local challenges you may be facing.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the conference administrators.
And last but not least, we wish you and your families well!
Corona Virus Update: 2-25-2020
Update: COVID-19 Notices – From IEEE
Please know that our thoughts are with those affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.
The health and safety of our members and participants are our first priority. We are closely monitoring any specific travel advisories through official channels which include the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Belgium government.
Before traveling to the conference, we recommend that you stay informed of any information your local health agencies may make available and take reasonable precautions to protect yourself. IEEE continues to closely monitor this dynamic situation and will provide updates with any developments.
The health and safety of attendees is our top priority and therefore the following proactive tips are being taken to maintain a safe and healthy environment at VTC2020-Spring:
- We are committed to following regional jurisdiction guidelines and rules in maintaining a safe environment for our attendees. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidelines are located here.
- We are working closely with the Flanders Convention Center in Antwerp, Belgium and surrounding venues hosting official VTC2020-Spring programming to ensure there are sufficient medical processes in place and sanitation products readily available.
- We are supporting individuals who may be unable to travel to Antwerp from affected regions
- We will continue to provide timely WHO and other relevant updates to registered attendees throughout the conference as may be needed.