Source: Robin Roth, Senior Contracts Editor, Conferon, Inc.
E-Specs: April 28, 2003

The Force Majeure clause in facility contracts is in the forefront of the news again because of the outbreak of SARS in some popular meeting destinations. There is currently a travel advisory in China, Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam and a travel alert for Toronto. It is possible that most hotels will allow a cancellation due to Force Majeure for any group canceling under an advisory, but not under an alert. We recommend that the following steps be taken to deal with concerns about SARS:

• Monitor the links listed below for official travel advisories. These links provide you with direct access to the most accurate and updated information on SARS.
• Consider sending an email to your attendees or members and/or post similar information on your website educating them on your strategy and precautions.
• Think about your strategy in the case of a travel advisory - will you reschedule, move the meeting, cancel, postpone, etc? Depending on the answer, contact your Conferon representative and take steps to research and tentatively hold back up facilities.

SARS Resources:

World Health Organization
http://www.who.int/csr/sars/en/

Health Canada
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/index.html

U.S. Centers for Disease Control
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars

Air Canada Statement on SARS
http://www.aircanada.com/about-us/news/sars.html

(Note: This information is not intended to be "legal advice." A qualified attorney should be consulted to review all contract issues.)