In response to rising health concerns related to COVID-19, Alltech has announced that this year's ONE: The Alltech Ideas Conference, originally scheduled for May 17-19 in Lexington, will be transitioned to a virtual experience instead of an in-person event.
The annual conference, which has been held in Lexington for 35 years, typically assembles more than 3,500 attendees from 70 countries and from around the Bluegrass State.
“Our first priority is the health and safety of attendees, our colleagues and the communities in which we live and work,” said Mark Lyons, president and CEO of Alltech, in a release announcing the change. “With that in mind, we have decided to host this year’s international conference on a virtual platform, allowing registrants from around the world to engage in industry-leading content in a way that is accessible for everyone.”
Alltech remains committed to hosting the live event in the city in future years. according to the company's statement.
“We have carefully considered this decision for several weeks, and central to our discussions was our commitment to this community,” Lyons said. “We recognize that the ONE conference has a significant economic impact on Lexington, and we will be exploring ways that we can work with our local partners to still deliver value to them in 2020. However, the health and well-being of this community, including our own colleagues and the many people within Lexington who would be working with our attendees, is and will always be our greatest priority.”
The Alltech ONE Virtual Experience will provide access to agricultural topics, including agri-business, aquaculture, beef, crop science, dairy, the future of food, pig and poultry. Live-streamed keynote presentations and on-demand video content from some of the world's leading industry experts, including the most impactful presentations from past years’ events, will be available beginning May 18, 2020.
More information about the event, including details on how to purchase a virtual ticket, are available online at https://one.alltech.com/.