September 11, 2017—After much discussion and consideration about the best path forward, and based on survey results from our NIA Fall Summit attendees and NIA member companies exhibiting at IEX USA, NIA and its leaders have decided to reschedule the Fall Summit for December 12–13, and hold it alongside Reed Exhibitions’ IEX USA trade show.

Supporting Houston
Please know we have taken all member feedback into consideration and believe this to be the best possible option given these difficult circumstances. Our first priority before making this decision was the safety of Houston’s residents and our members in the areas affected by Hurricane Harvey. We have heard from several sources in Houston that they will be ready for business by December and rescheduling our meeting will help support Houston’s businesses and residents during their recovery process.

Other Considerations
We know that these are not ideal dates, but once Reed Exhibitions rescheduled their show, we felt it was important to support our member companies that were already committed to exhibiting at IEX USA. We also recognized that it would be more cost effective for NIA members to travel to one show instead of two. (Please see the FAQs for a full listing of what we considered during this process.)

Speakers and Committee Meetings
We have confirmed almost all of our previously scheduled speakers for the new dates. We expect to have the same educational content and to hold all committee meetings during the rescheduled event. We had a really fantastic event planned and are very glad to be able to move forward with it. See the full schedule here.

Same Location
The location, hotel, and Convention Center are the same as initially planned. The Fall Summit and IEX USA trade show will take place in Houston, Texas, at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Registration
Fall Summit registration is now open for the new dates. If you have already registered for NIA’s Fall Summit, your registration will automatically transfer to the new dates. If you can’t make the December dates, NIA encourages you to transfer your registration to another member of your team to take advantage of all the educational and networking opportunities at Fall Summit. If you need to request a refund, NIA is lifting its normal policy and offering full refunds by October 9, due to the unusual circumstances. Or, if you would prefer, NIA will donate your registration fee to support hurricane disaster relief efforts. All refund and donation requests must be made by email by Monday, October 9, 2017.  Any questions regarding transferring your registration or refunds should be sent to events@insulation.org.

Hotel
If you made a hotel reservation at the Marriott Marquis Houston through NIA’s website and the onPeak system (https://compass.onpeak.com/e/012602111) your reservation (for $199 per night) has been automatically updated for the new December dates. In a few weeks you will receive a new confirmation that will also outline any necessary next steps (if you did not receive email confirmation, you will need to call the hotel). If you wish to cancel your reservation or if you made your hotel reservation directly through the Marriott (instead of onPeak) you will need to call the hotel at 713-654-1777.

FAQS
NIA has created a new FAQ webpage where members can get answers to their questions about the new Fall Summit schedule.

IEAP Certification
Those registered for the Insulation Energy Appraisal Program (IEAP) course are being contacted about rescheduling this class. Updates will be posted online.

IEX USA Trade Show
The IEX USA trade show was rescheduled for December 1213, 2017. The pattern of events will be the same as initially planned. Please contact Reed Exhibitions directly if you have questions about their event. Mark Swagerty can be reached at mswagerty@reedexpo.com.

Other Meetings
Eastern States Insulation Contractors Association (ESICA) and Central States Insulation Association (CSIA) have cancelled their fall meetings. They do not plan to reschedule.

If you have any other questions or comments, please contact Erin Penberthy at epenberthy@insulation.org.