For the safety and general well-being of all, conferees will be required to show proof of vaccination, or a negative COVID test within three days prior to attending the conference. You can email me directly proof of poke or test at msg@WritersConference.com, if preferred.
During the course of our writers’ weekend, we’ll remain in compliance with federal and California state COVID-19 protocols, as well as those Sonesta has in place. The hotel is mandating masks be worn inside ground floor level areas–lobby, bar, restaurant–as well as inside elevators. I’m told their staff will be masked. On the second floor, where the conference takes place, we are strongly encouraging that everyone wear masks.
Additional measures we’ve taken include keeping conference attendance at half it’s pre-pandemic capacity; utilizing the largest ballrooms for workshops; removing at least the first row of 8’ roundtables from workshop leaders and keynote speakers to put as much distance between them and conferees; and keeping workshop doors open to better ventilate the rooms.
Given the attendance of most workshops, and the halved capacity slated for Irvine, the ballrooms that seat 90 to 120 will be setup with fewer tables distanced farther apart than in normal circumstances. We’re also reducing the number of chairs available at each roundtable.
For the general sessions, such as introductions, guest speakers, agents panel and banquet, we’ll open the main ballroom air walls to utilize the entire space, again in effort to make everyone as comfortably distanced as they wish.
Finally, one more thing we’re working on is trying to conduct at least some of the advance submission consultations on the restaurant patio, however freeway noise may prevent that.
The deadline for discounted pre-registration is Sunday, Sept. 12. Be the writer you aspire to be and join us!
–Michael Steven Gregory
Executive Director, SCWC/SWS
