The Houston Pride Band’s Bigger and Brighter 2021 conference team has been closely monitoring the news as we’ve shifted into the conference year. According to latest projections, the COVID-19 vaccines may not reach the general population in most areas of the country until late spring and likely won’t lead to widespread coverage until late summer. This, in course, could trigger a cancellation by the hotel or concert venue due to local social distance bans still being in effect.
In conversation with the Four Seasons Hotel Houston, our conference host, we came to a consensus that we would not be able to guarantee that we could host the conference in July. After further deliberation with the Houston Pride Band Board of Directors and the LGBA Board of Directors, all parties have agreed to change the date of the 2021 conference to the weekend of November 17–22, 2021.
We know that this shift to the later date may change attendance plans for those who have already registered, but may also allow some of you to attend who could not travel in July. For the greater good and health of all, we felt this decision needed to be made to give the conference the best possible chance to proceed safely and successfully.
Registration Fees: If you have already registered but cannot attend in November, please contact Christopher Wells and he will issue a full refund. If you can attend in November, no action is required on your part. We will keep you listed as an active participant.
Hotel Reservations
- The Four Seasons will cancel ALL July reservations and will send notifications when they have done so. They will update their reservation link to reflect the new dates and room rates, and we will let you know when you can make your new reservations if you are joining us in November.
- As a result of the date change to a peak travel time, the nightly rate at the Four Seasons increased from $185 to $200. This small increase is still a quite reasonable rate for this renovated five-star hotel, whose regular rates are normally double what they are offering us.
This change of date does not come lightly and is the result of our desire to provide everyone in LGBA a safe and in-person conference.
We hope this date change will come as welcome news so we can see each other in person in Houston in November. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please reach out to us and we would be happy to talk more.
We appreciate your continued support.
