Q. Will the meeting take place in Seattle as originally planned?
A. No. We have determined that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it will be impossible to meet in Seattle as originally planned.

Q. Will there be a “virtual meeting”?
A. The AHA is not planning a full-fledged “virtual meeting.” Instead, we will be organizing multiple online opportunities to share research, engage in professional and career development, and network with other historians over the course of the year. Video and online content will run through June 2021. Virtual events will include content from the planned program for the 2021 annual meeting and from other AHA initiatives.

Q. Will the web-based programming take place over January 7 through 10?
A. We plan to schedule some online activities during the original dates of the meeting, but we will also schedule events throughout the coming year.

Q. I was accepted for the program. Will my acceptance still count on my CV?
A. Yes, canceled conference presentations should be included on CVs. We will post a PDF program including all sessions accepted by the AHA Program Committee and the affiliated societies to document acceptance. All sessions will be included in the PDF, whether or not participants chose to participate in virtual programming. Canceled conference presentations should be listed as “accepted for the 2021 AHA annual meeting.”

Q. Can panels accepted for 2021 be rescheduled for the 2022 meeting?
A. Participants are welcome to resubmit; however, proposals will go through the regular review process with the 2022 Program Committee. Acceptance is not guaranteed.

Q. Will accepted presenters have an opportunity to share their work?
A. At the minimum, we will offer those who were scheduled to present the opportunity to post written remarks on our website. AHA staff are developing plans for a series of online sessions and workshops. We also encourage participants to schedule their own virtual roundtables, live discussions of papers posted on the AHA website, and other events, which we will publicize. As a first step, we are polling those accepted for the program to determine the level of demand.

Q. What will the process for scheduling web-based programming look like?
A. Staff are exploring multiple possibilities for web-based programming and will keep in touch as our plans develop. There will be a fall deadline for submitting PDF presentations and rolling deadlines for participants to inform us about online events. We will announce details in this space as they are finalized.

Q. I was accepted to present a poster. Will I have a chance to present?
A. Poster presenters will be able to post their posters on the AHA website. If there is enough interest, the AHA staff might coordinate online poster discussions.

Q. Will there still be a chance to network and connect with fellow historians?
A. While nothing can replace meeting in person, the staff hopes to organize web-based networking events.

Q. Will there still be an exhibit hall?
A. Yes. We are working with our exhibitors to develop a virtual exhibit hall.

Feel free to contact us at annualmeeting@historians.org if you have additional questions.