New Harvest 2020 has been canceled due to public health concerns surrounding COVID-19. Please see here for cancellation FAQs.
# Update: 3/17/2020
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, we have decided to cancel the New Harvest 2020 conference scheduled to take place July 10 and 11 at the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
July is four months away, and it is possible that the spread of coronavirus might slow by then. However, it might not. Out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to reduce uncertainty surrounding the event for everyone involved and make the call now.
It was a tough call to make, but we cannot continue planning for an event which might jeopardize the health and safety of our community.
We understand and share your disappointment. Our team had big plans for New Harvest 2020. Unlike past years, we held an open call for programming suggestions and introduced a theme: elephant in the room. Deliberately provocative, we hoped the theme would spark discussion about critically neglected topics in cellular agriculture. It worked. We received over 80 thoughtful and ambitious programming suggestions about important conversations for the cellular agriculture community to have in July.
We also expanded opportunities for remote participation through watch parties. We received 15 applications from community members across four continents and eight countries who proposed livestream events with a collective remote attendance of 510 people.
So what now?
We look forward to convening the community at New Harvest 2021. The date is TBD, but you can expect for the conference to be sometime in the summer of 2021.
In the meantime, we hope to address the elephants in the room of cellular agriculture through alternate engagements that keep us socially close but physically distant. Ideas? Email meera@new-harvest.org.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks to hear what we have planned for the rest of 2020! As always, our mailing list is the best way to stay in the loop.
Thank you for your patience, support, and enthusiasm. Stay safe!
Cancellation FAQ
I already purchased a ticket for New Harvest 2020. What happens now?
Your ticket will automatically transfer over to next year’s conference—New Harvest 2021—which will take place in the summer of 2021 at the MIT Media Lab. We will email you as soon as we have confirmed dates. For now, you do not need to take any action and will be automatically registered for the event.
If you would prefer a refund or would like to donate the value of your ticket to New Harvest, please email lanto@new-harvest.org by April 1, 2020.
Will my ticket transfer to New Harvest 2021?
Yes, unless you tell us otherwise the default response will be for your ticket to transfer automatically to New Harvest 2021.
May I request a refund for my ticket?
Of course. Please email lanto@new-harvest.org to make your request by April 1, 2020.
May I transfer my ticket purchase into a donation to New Harvest?
Yes, thank you! Please email lanto@new-harvest.org to let us know that you will be donating the value of your ticket purchase.
What’s next for New Harvest events?
We will host our next New Harvest conference in the summer of 2021 and will keep you informed as soon as we confirm dates. Sign up for our mailing list to be the first to hear what we have planned for the rest of 2020.