Updated on September 29, 2021
OLC Accelerate 2021 COVID-19 Safety Precautions
Please note, attendees will need to sign a waiver to receive a badge onsite and are encouraged to do so ahead of time.
Download Waiver
The Online Learning Consortium is committed to the health, safety, and comfort of our attendees. This includes intentionally working with local, state, and federal agencies and guidelines to maximize our processes and protocols to provide you the safest experience possible. Our plans are continually evolving, and we will continue to revise this page as information becomes available.
Our Current Plan to Keep You Safe
Following advice from the CDC, we encourage attendees of OLC Accelerate 2021 to be vaccinated before arrival on site. This website will help you find a vaccination site near you: https://www.vaccines.gov.
Our registration area will be set up to encourage social distancing. Please also do your best to give your colleagues space in areas where you find yourselves closer together.
Marriott hotels, including the Gaylord National are requiring that masks be worn by all guests at all times inside the hotel and its amenities. Masks will be made available on site but we recommend you bring your own and rotate them out frequently to keep them sanitized and avoid the spread of germs.
Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the conference space for your use.
Cleansing wipes will be available so that you can clean the spaces around you in the ways that make you feel most comfortable.
Q & A for sessions will be conducted without the use of passed microphones. Slido will be used in our general sessions. Our webcast breakouts will use a stationary microphone on a stand.
Meeting rooms will be set up with social distancing in mind including presenters being distanced with additional head tables, and chairs positioned with additional distance.
We are adhering to all current CDC guidelines and recommendations, as well as any mandates from the State of Maryland, Prince Georges County, and Marriott International.
Tips to Keep Each Other Safe
Default to kindness: The safety protocols in place are in place for the wellbeing of all community members. Please ensure that you follow them, and recognize that your fellow attendees may be in a different health ability space than you are.
Normalize saying hello without physical contact: Have you ever greeted a friend with an air guitar duet? What about with an air high five? How about a good old fashioned wave? Before offering a handshake, a hug, or a clap on the shoulder, please make sure your colleagues are comfortable with touch. The pandemic has made many of us much more careful about the transmission of germs.
Bookmark this page: We’ll be updating these safety measures and information as we get closer to the event. Please check back regularly, and read your OLC Accelerate preparation e-mails for the latest updates.
Take care of yourself: If you have any COVID-19 symptoms, or have tested positive for COVID-19 within the ten days before the conference start, please do not attend the onsite conference. We will make sure you have access to the virtual experience and will do our best to eliminate any fear of missing out you may have. We care about you, and want you to take care of your health and the health of your colleagues.
Travel Guidance
Please see the below links for updated safety guidelines from popular airlines and more.
Meal Logistics
Meals and food events included with conference registration are breakfast Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, networking coffee breaks daily, Thursday exhibit hall networking lunch, and Wednesday and Thursday reception events. Dinner is always on your own, as is Wednesday’s lunch.
The National Harbor area is right out the Gaylord front door, and there are many dining options there with outdoor seating available. The hotel also has its grab and go Marketplace, which may interest many attendees.
The breakfasts provided by OLC are buffet style, with socially distanced seating in the general session room (6 chairs per banquet round). Our receptions events are served on buffet tables, with socially distanced smaller tables to sit or stand at. Masks are required at all times in the hotel when you are not actively consuming food or beverage.