SaaStr, a large enterprise software conference typically held in the Bay Area, has announced an in-person event for 5,000 people to be held Sept. 27 to 29. The event will be held outdoors and only individuals vaccinated against COVID-19 may attend.
The 2020 SaaStr event, which was supposed to happen March 10 to 12 at the San Jose Convention Center, was canceled after organizers attempted to make the event compliant with growing strictures against gatherings in the Bay Area, which was one of the first regions to lock down business activities as the pandemic spread alarmingly in the U.S.
The 2021 event will be held at the San Mateo County Fairgrounds, which has over 50 acres of space, with capacity limited to 5,000. It was not clear how SaaStr planned to enforce the vaccination requirement, since common standards have not yet emerged for digital passes showing proof of vaccination, and the state of California has said it does not plan to create a COVID-19 vaccine passport.
SaaStr says it's the first big tech event to be held in person since regional restrictions forced most Silicon Valley conferences to cancel or go virtual.