BUILD 2023 Postponed

Dear Friends and Colleagues –

We were so looking forward to seeing you in person next week in Anaheim, but we must postpone the July in-person meeting to support the hotel workers who still do not have a contract. Please keep reading though—pre-conferences will still be held on July 11, albeit virtually, and we have a great new plan for BUILD23.

The hotel workers who belong to UNITE HERE Local 11 are largely women of color and immigrant women; many work two or three jobs to support their families. Most cannot afford to live in the community in which they work. They are asking for higher pay, fair treatment, housing, and respect. The BUILD Initiative supports their efforts to secure fair pay and a better work environment.

We are still working out the new details for BUILD23, and will communicate final details soon, but here’s what we are planning:
Your registration covers participation in either or both!

-We’ll offer a virtual conference in mid-November with plenaries and breakout sessions.

-We’ll offer an in-person conference in late November.

-If you signed up for a pre-conference, it will be held virtually on July 11 as planned with updated hours from 1-4:30 PM ET, which includes at least 30 minutes of break time.

These options will draw on the same high-quality, relevant content that presenters helped prepare for this month. The quality of the sessions will not be compromised. We are grateful to all of you who have invested time in creating presentations; we look forward to working with you in the coming months.

Whether virtually or in person, we look forward to connecting with you in November. We appreciate your patience and support as we’ve navigated these difficult circumstances. We recognize the dates are not ideal—none of this is—but we will make the best of what is possible. Please bear with us as the BUILD conference team shifts gears.

Please note: There are several invitation-only events (e.g., JEDI reception and ECGFP meeting) adjacent to BUILD23. If you are part of any additional meetings, we will communicate with you shortly.

All my best,

Susan Hibbard
Executive Director
The BUILD Initiative

Important Information about Hotel Reservations, Airfare, and Conference Rescheduling
What about my hotel reservation?
Contact the Anaheim Hilton directly at least 48 hours in advance to cancel your hotel reservation so that you do not forfeit your payment. If you’re at another hotel please cancel your hotel reservations. Most other hotels have a 72-hour deadline. You can cancel your hotel reservation here: https://book.passkey.com/go/BUILD2023 or call 877-776-4932

What about my flight reservation?
Most airlines will give you a travel credit if you must cancel your trip due to a strike. Check your ticket. If you booked with a travel agency, check with them.

I’m registered for a pre-conference session.
We will hold the pre-conference sessions virtually on July 11 from 1:00 – 4:30 PM ET. We will reach out to you by noon ET on Friday, July 8 to give you details on how to access your pre-conference.

I’m a presenter. What happens with my sessions?
The conference planning team will reach out to all conference presenters to determine your preferences for in-person or virtual participation by Friday, July 15.

I have Disney tickets. Can I have a refund or re-schedule?
Please email Zhenya Galatenko for Disney ticket refunds or re-scheduling: Yevgeniya.Galatenko@disney.com

I’m a sponsor. What does this mean about my sponsorship?
We will reach out to sponsors shortly to find out whether you prefer to participate in-person or virtually. You can choose to participate in virtual, in-person, or both events.

Important Information about Rescheduling BUILD23
Virtual BUILD23: November 13 – 14, 2023
The virtual conference will include roughly 45 breakout sessions and 2 plenary sessions. All sessions will be available asynchronously, so you will be able to participate in the conference live, or view sessions afterward. You can choose to participate in virtual, in-person, or both events.

HOLD THESE DATES for In-Person BUILD23
We are tentatively looking at the week of November 28, 2023. We are still working with the hotel to determine final dates. These dates may shift. You can choose to participate in virtual, in-person, or both events.

Conference Registration
You can choose to participate in-person, virtually, or both. In the next few days, you will receive an email requesting your preferences. Please complete the form upon receipt and let us know whether you prefer to attend in-person or virtually.