March 11, 2020— Several hours prior to New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declaring a State of Emergency due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the AASP/NJ announced that its flagship event, NORTHEAST 2020, would be rescheduled from original dates in March to August 21-23 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, N.J.
AASP/NJ President Jerry McNee expanded upon the reasoning behind the decision in an email. He said that, after the governor of New York declared a State of Emergency, the AASP/NJ were prepared for New Jersey to follow. The top priority of the AASP/NJ is the safety of attendees, exhibitors and supporters, McNee said.
In a separate press release, event organizers said that all current Collision P.R.E.P. registrations remain valid for the NORTHEAST event, and that they'll be applied for the postponed event in August. Any changes or new additions o the speaker schedule will be updated and shared. Registration for Collision P.R.E.P. will re-open on April 15, and seats can be saved by clicking here.
The new date for the event was picked so it was far enough in the future from the coronavirus but not during the 2020 SEMA Show. Next year, the event will return to the third week in March. The AASP/NJ anticipates seeing over 6,000 participants at the show.
