Baltimore riots force Navy, AFCEA events to postpone

Organizers of two major technology conferences have decided to postpone the events — scheduled to take place in Baltimore May 5-7 — because of continuing unrest in the city and concerns about the safety of conference attendees and speakers.

The Navy announced Wednesday that it postponed the Department of the Navy IT Conference, East Coast 2015, which was scheduled to take place at the Baltimore Convention Center on May 6-7. “This decision was made based on the current state of unrest in the city of Baltimore, with the safety of conference attendees as our highest priority,” a Navy spokeswoman said in an email to registrants.

The Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, or AFCEA, announced Tuesday that it has decided to postpone the 2015 Defensive Cyber Operations Symposium, which was also scheduled to take place at the Baltimore Convention Center on May 5.

“The safety of symposium participants has been our highest priority as we’ve examined all options for this event. After conferring with the convention center, city officials and mission partners, AFCEA has decided to reschedule the Defensive Cyber Operations Symposium,” organizers said in a statement on the event’s website.

New dates and locations for the events have not yet been announced.