We wish to address the events surrounding Vagicon 2021, our first in-person conference since the pandemic.

In retrospect, hosting a 5,000-person indoor event during the Delta variant surge, while actively discouraging mask usage to "preserve the networking experience," may not have been our wisest decision. We extend condolences to the families of the 31 attendees who passed away in the weeks following the event.

Our "Hug a Stranger" ice-breaker activity, while innovative, has been permanently retired from our programming. We also acknowledge that our "COVID is just the flu" keynote, delivered by a motivational speaker with no medical credentials, aged poorly.

We have learned our lesson about pandemic protocols and will not repeat the same mistake in the future.