Last spring, we made an extraordinary decision to take River Rally 2020 virtual in order to protect our community and our team from the health risks of COVID-19. With only six weeks to completely remake our annual event, learn new technology, and reframe expectations, River Rally 2020 was a success, thanks to the patience and eagerness of this community.  

Following on the heels of Rally, we threw ourselves at our many other commitments, unleashing so much creativity these past months, continuously recalibrating approaches to wildly changing circumstances and needs. Yet we are also tired, crave certainty, and miss seeing our friends and colleagues. I expect the same is true for you too.  

Against this backdrop, we have wrestled with our plans for River Rally 2021: Do we plan an in-person event without knowing what the future holds? Do we go virtual again? Is there a way to do both? To provide some certainty for our staff and for you, we have once again made the choice to go virtual. We are excited about all we learned during River Rally 2020 and the great progress that’s been made in the virtual events space since March, when the pandemic brought so much change to all our lives and work. 

As always, our goal with River Rally is to educate, inspire, and celebrate the tireless work of the community of water protectors across the country and we promise to be on the leading edge bringing the network together in new and innovative ways. We look forward to practical content contributed from across the country, another incredible awards panel, and peer-to-peer engagement on the issues that matter most to you next May.

While the virtual event is what we can promise you (registration will open in January), we have left the door open to explore other ‘all outdoor’ events that might be possible down the road if we can offer them in a safe manner in collaboration with the San Antonio River Authority. Look for information in late February or early March. This event would not replace River Rally 2021, but rather add to it.  

We hope our transparency on these plans is useful and clarifying to you. And, you don’t have to wait until May to get involved with the network! This fall, look for a new online community, nominate the River Heroes you know and work with, attend our coffee roundtables and webinars (with some led by 2020 Emerging Leader Megan Nguyen!), and then get ready to register for River Rally come January.

Did you miss River Rally 2020, our first virtual Rally experience? Watch the highlights and learn more here.

Help shape River Rally: take the two-minute survey.