Hey Mark, Thanks for the email. Yep, I understand the reasoning of the organizers. Thanks for being transparent. (I just don't agree. Virtual can come close, IMO.) And I hope you interpret the timing of my decision-making the right way. It arose from sincere reluctance to cancel. Be well, Shane From: Mark Lorenzen <ml.si@cbs.dk> Sent: Friday, September 24, 2021 11:51 AM To: Greenstein, Shane <sgreenstein@hbs.edu>; druid@druid.dk Subject: Sv: Druid withdrawal Dear Shane I fully understand -- these are troubled times. To not have a virtual presentation option is a very conscious decision on our part: The quality of interation, including matched discussants and chairs, in virtual presentations would not live up to DRUID's usual standard, and virtual presentations do not contribute to the community building we hope to achieve through the DRUID events. As mentioned on the conference website, if we cannot go through with the conference in a version that resembles the usual format, we will cancel it, not shift it online. Fortunately, the infection rates in Denmark are now at a level less than a fifth of those in the USA, and all regulations have been rolled back by our government, so we are looking at a DRUID conference more or less like usual. It is too bad we will miss your attendence this year. We will remove your paper from the program and the website. Unfortunately, cancellations recieved after September 15 and before October are only eglible for a 50% refund of the conference registration fee, as stated in the Call for Papers and on the conference webpage. I trust you understand that at this late stage, we have incurred costs towards your participation to the conference that we are not able to recapture in full. We hope to see you at a future DRUID conference! All the best Mark Mark Lorenzen Department of Strategy and Innovation, Copenhagen Business School Director, DRUID www.cbs.dk/en/staff/mlino<http://www.cbs.dk/en/staff/mlino> www.druid.dk<http://www.druid.dk> ________________________________ Fra: Druid <druid-bounces@druid.dk<mailto:druid-bounces@druid.dk>> på vegne af Greenstein, Shane <sgreenstein@hbs.edu<mailto:sgreenstein@hbs.edu>> Sendt: 24. september 2021 15:08 Til: druid@druid.dk<mailto:druid@druid.dk> <druid@druid.dk<mailto:druid@druid.dk>> Emne: [Druid] Druid withdrawal Dear DRUID administrator, Thank you for organizing the DRUID conference. It is a wonderful conference, and I was looking forward to attending. The situation with COVID-19 has become too concerning, and just too burdensome to address during an international trip. I have medical reasons for caution, and my spouse is opposed to me traveling. I agree with her. I cannot travel internationally until the situation improves. I am disappointed to read that DRUID has no virtual option for participating. To be honest, this seems a bit puzzling. It takes effort, but it is not that hard to do. Because I will not travel, I must withdraw. How do I get a refund on part of my registration? What others steps would you like me to take? Thank you for your time and attention, Shane Professor Shane Greenstein Morgan Hall 439, Harvard Business School FSS: Will Lombard, wlombard@hbs.edu<mailto:wlombard@hbs.edu>, Ph: 617-495-6037 Book: How the Internet Became Commercial<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpress.princeton.edu%2Ftitles%2F10574.html&data=04%7C01%7Csgreenstein%40hbs.edu%7Ca79865e85ede45364a3708d97f730d0e%7C09fd564ebf4243218f2db8e482f8635c%7C0%7C0%7C637680954409817884%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=Ifs2M0zJKptxjpgxllrOwaaghSfSXT3i4LoT0LMAx9o%3D&reserved=0>