World Out of Home Organization Cancels Toronto Congress That Was Set For June

March 13, 2020 by Dave Haynes

The World Out of Home Organization has cancelled its big Toronto Congress, originally slated for early June, due to the spread of the COVID-19 virus and the variety of travel restrictions. 

The Congress is being rescheduled for Toronto in June 2021. 

“COVID-19 is now officially designated a pandemic by the World Health Organization and is impacting Out of Home companies worldwide,” says President Tom Goddard. “Therefore we had no option but to cancel our June gathering and postpone to 2021. We felt it best to make the decision at this time to remove uncertainty for attendees and our partners.”

“This is the first Congress we have cancelled in 61 years but it’s clearly right to put the health and wellbeing of our members and others first. In the meantime the Organization will continue to promote the global industry as energetically as ever.”

Woo, known previously as FEPE, describes itself as the only global Out of Home Association, working to promote and improve the OOH industry on behalf of its members. Board members include the major International companies  – JCDecaux and Clear Channel – as well as Ströer, Pikasso, and more recently blowUP media, OUTFRONT Media from the US, oOh!Media from Australia and Selvel One from India.

Membership is open to all companies who operate in the OOH sector and, as a non-profit Organization, funds are reinvested in industry issues such as research and the annual international congress. WOO is a member of EASA and ESOMAR in Europe, as well as a founding member of ICAS, and actively works to help the membership with legislation issues within their own countries as well. It also aims to lobby for Out of Home advertising with authorities, international organizations, opinion formers and other elements of the communication media. 

Too bad, as I know there were some really great sessions planned. But they’ll still be good a year later.

Leave a comment