After a lot of feedback from the community, the Executive Board of the NOVA Open has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 convention.

Reasons for the cancelation include:

• Many of the convention partners are currently unable to commit to a September 1-5 NOVA Open 2021. Executing a NOVA Open requires months of pre-planning and coordination between hundreds of individuals and organizations, so no matter what the situation may look like in September, they have to act based on what they can guarantee in the near term. 

• There is no clarity into what large event restrictions will or will not be in place in Arlington County, Virginia, at the time of the convention. At best, they can only guess what guidelines and restrictions might be in place, and cross their fingers that the pendulum would not swing at the last minute. This uncertainty prevents effective planning. 

• The responses to the surveys consistently showed strong support for the NOVA Open. The support was not so universal when the unique planning considerations related to COVID meant NOVA Open 2021 would be substantially different from prior years. The Executive Board concurs with attendee sentiment that NOVA Open return in 2022 as the same high-quality event we have all come to know and love.

• The financial consequences of the 2020 refund campaign, though necessary to remain solvent through the end of summer, was never intended to support the convention beyond that period of time. Therefore, the Executive Board is faced with a significant challenge as they readjust their resources and imaginations to remain solvent until a March 1, 2022 registration launch. 

The Executive Board is working to tighten the belts of the convention to make sure it can continue including an Amazon store, a sale of game mats and terrain sets, pop-up tournaments, investor opportunities, and more.

We of course support the convention and will keep our community apprised of any updates in how we can rally to help out.