Nyon, Switzerland
November 18, 2020
Together with our National Organizing Committee in Spain, we at the International Seed Federation (ISF) hope that you are in good health during these exceptional times.
For many months now, the world has been facing an unprecedented situation. Nevertheless, you, the seed people of the world, continued in an exemplary way to carry on with the task of developing, producing and trading quality seed to support sustainable agriculture and food security. These times remind us of the significance of our foundational contribution to food production and showed the importance of international trade and the interrelation between all of us.
We have become very familiar with the uncertainty that this year has brought. Never have the figures of cases been so high around the world as in the last few days. And at the same time, we continue to receive from many energizing messages of people who would like to meet, trade and engage again in person!
It is in this spirit that ISF and our good friends in the Spanish NOC continue to prepare the way for the ISF World Seed Congress 2021 in Barcelona.
Considering recent developments, we have decided to move the dates of the Congress from 17-19 May to 5-7 July 2021.
We are cautiously optimistic that this move will give us the much-needed time to see improvements in the situation in Spain and the rest of the world.
Needless to say, this congress will be different from others.
For the 2021 Congress, we will prioritize the need of our delegates and partners for a business-centered event in both physical and virtual settings. Today we are working towards a Congress format that will allow our participants to trade on site, Sponsors and Exhibitors to present themselves on site, and delegates to network and participate on site in important discussions on topics concerning the seed industry.
The crisis calls on us to be innovative, therefore, additionally, we will introduce novel ways of delivering the congress experience. Aside from the physical event, we will set up a virtual platform where selected parts of the congress will be broadcast live. We will have a live streaming platform “Channel World Seed”, on which we will share thematic content from ISF and marketing content from companies.
It goes without saying that a comprehensive sanitary plan is under preparation for the congress venue, including the trading floor, exhibition hall, meeting areas and others to ensure a safe and smooth event.
There will be no social events, such as the Welcome Party and Gala Dinner, and no program for accompanying persons. There will also be changes in the catering setup to maintain the standards of health and sanitation.
The ISF World Seed Congress 2021 will have a single registration fee. We will not have an early bird rate, considering that many of our delegates have limited visibility over the possibility of their participation. Registration will open in early February (VIP registration will open one week prior to the official opening).
From today we will maintain regular communication on the event to make you feel comfortable and informed, and to make this congress a first step back to normality.
Please refer to the congress website for regular updates:
www.congress.worldseed.org
As in every year during the ISF World Seed Congress, we look forward to working together with the global seed community towards a common vision of a world where quality seed is accessible to all to support sustainable agriculture. In these times - more than ever - you, the seed people, are essential contributors to the agricultural system.
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