COVID-19 takes out Hotlead and Breakout

It is unfortunate, but many event organizers find themselves forced to close their events due to COVID-19 (also known as the Coronavirus). Recently the people behind Adepticon 2020 chose to cancel their event. Today, the closures and cancellations strike closer to home. Both Hotlead and Breakout needed to reschedule their events due to COVID-19. Hotlead outright cancelled their event for 2020. Breakout plans to work with their venue provider to find a better date.

Below are the statements from their websites.

From Hotlead…

It Is with a great deal of sadness that we have decided to follow the Ontario Chief Medical Officer’s recommendation and cancel Hotlead 2020.

At this time I would like to thank everyone for their support and encouragement, especially those Game Masters who have worked hard on their games and even offered to run extra games to fill cancellations.

Elizabeth and I are going to miss seeing everyone this year and we hope to see you next year!

Date set for Hotlead 2021: 19-21 March 2021

Source… Hotlead Webpage

From Breakout…

The mounting health crisis of COVID-19 requires everyone to participate in keeping Toronto and Canada safe. Acting in compliance with the advice of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer, we are relieved to announce that Breakout Gaming Convention will be postponed until the latter half of the year in an effort to reduce the risk of spreading the coronavirus. We are currently working with the Sheraton Downtown to find new dates for our convention.

Source… Breakout Webpage

COVID-19 is Changing Everything

It is sad news, but I totally side with the event organizers and am happy about their decision. COVID-19 has shut down a lot of gatherings and things seem to change by the moment. It is really crazy how things are going. The Supermarket and Costco all being sold out of toilet paper is just a fraction of what is going on.

We are being advised not to leave the country and to self-quarantine ourselves when we return if we do. March break for school children in Ontario was extended from one week to three due to the virus. Likewise, Colleges and Universities are drastically changing how they deliver courses and putting in person classes on hold. I think we will even see changes in the workplace with more people working from home if able.

On top of that, the Canadian Government has advised its citizens to socially distance themselves from others and warned against attending large scale events or being in crowded spaces. Sadly, Gaming Conventions can get quite crowded. It makes me worry for my friends running FLGS and Miniatures Conventions. Heck, a friend of mine even cancelled the gaming night at his house to answer the call of social distance.

While I desperately wanted to go to Hotlead, I wouldn’t have even been able to due to my work. In my day job, I work in IT and specialize in Webcasting and Video Conferencing Support. Due to the guidance against large events, my workload is ramping up significantly in the short-term.

For the meantime, I have been monitoring the Ontario based conventions and updating the Ontario Miniature Gaming Convention page with any updates that I see.

Wrapping it up…

I am sad to see Hotlead and Breakout cancelling (or postponing) their events for next weekend, but at the same time respect their decision. In fact, I am happy that they choose to postpone the events due to the current situation.

I feel bad for the organizers, vendors and anyone that may have taken a hit from the cancellation of the events.

For now, I guess it is a good time to figure out taxes and catch up on some building and painting of miniatures.

Until next time, Happy Gaming Everyone!!!