The 2019 Debt Collection Forum was scheduled to be held this week in Chicago, but did not go off as planned. Nick Jarman, the event’s organizer, agreed to answer questions about what happened. What follows are his unedited comments, provided to AccountsRecovery.net.
Why were you forced to cancel the event?
At the beginning of March, we sent out several notices to all registered attendees and exhibitors that we would be forced to postpone the event until the fall. The reason(s) we were forced to postpone the event was due to issues with an investor, logistics with the hotel, and overall attendance during spring break. Having put on a dozen plus events in the past we have never had demands placed on us by a venue like the ones that the venue did this time at the last minute.
What are you most disappointed about?
Not holding the event as scheduled is by far the most disappointing. I am completely empathetic to the registered attendees and exhibitors and truly wish the event took place as scheduled. So much time, effort, and energy go into planning and executing an event and not being able to put it on stings badly. Knowing that attendees and exhibitors supported the event and failing to come through is extremely upsetting as well.
What were you most looking forward to?
That’s a tough question to answer right now. The only thought process at this time is how we failed to put on the show as scheduled.
What lesson(s) did this experience teach you?
Be careful who you do business with. For the first time I worked with an outside investor who made promises that were not kept. Also, be careful about the venue selected and ensure they are a solid partner which in this instance turned out not to be the case.
Will you try and hold DCF again in the future?
No. I am acutely aware of the ramifications of what postponing an event will do to future events. While we have thoroughly enjoyed putting on the DCF over the years we will not attempt to put one on in the future. The last event we will be putting on is the free-to-attend Compliance Forum for creditors later this fall.
For refunds to the event, attendees can request a refund by viewing their ticket received after registering, and following the instructions for requesting a refund and it will be processed immediately.
