NACE International postpones Houston conference amid coronavirus scare

( Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle ) ( Mark Mulligan / Houston Chronicle ) Photo: Mark Mulligan, Staff Photo: Mark Mulligan, Staff Image 1 of / 101 Caption Close NACE International postpones Houston conference amid coronavirus scare 1 / 101 Back to Gallery

An upcoming conference expected to bring nearly 5,000 attendees from around the world has been postponed due to new cases of the coronavirus in the Houston region.

The board of directors of the National Association of Corrosion Engineers, or NACE International, Friday night voted to delay its five-day annual event, citing six cases of the virus in the Houston area. As of Monday, that number had doubled.

The group's Corrosion 2020 conference and expo, which was scheduled to take place next week, is now scheduled for June 14.

"This was a difficult decision, but after consulting with several members of our industry community and convening our board of directors, we believe it is the right thing to do," NACE CEO Bob Chalker said in a statement. "After close consultation with the George R. Brown Convention Center, conference hotels, and our vendor partners, we believe this is the best solution under the current circumstances."

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Last week, Chalker said the conference was expecting around 4,900 attendees. Attendance in previous years has averaged 6,500, according to Houston First Corp., the city's convention bureau. The NACE conference pumps an estimated $5.2 million into the city's economy, including 2,500 hotel rooms and 11,000 room nights, Houston First said.

It was the latest local convention to be affected by the spread of the novel coronavirus, which can lead to a respiratory disease called COVID-19.

CERAWeek was expected to draw a crowd of 5,500 from more than 80 countries. Attendees had booked 11,719 room nights in Houston hotels for the event, which was supposed to take place this week.

And last week, organizers of the 51st Lunar and Planetary Science Conference canceled its event, which was scheduled for the week of March 16 at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. More than 1,600 participants were registered.

Also last week, Austin's South by Southwest conference was cancelled for the first time in its 34-year history. The conference attracts more than 200,000 people who bring an estimated $356 million to the city of Austin.