In what can only be described as a gut-wrenching bit of news for the industry, venerable events and information organization ERE is reported to be laying off the majority of its staff.

Founded in 1998 by David Manaster, ERE (short for Electronic Recruiting Exchange) began its life as an online resource for recruiters to share information, connect, and learn. It has since evolved into a major events organization for the industry - and, along the way, has helped grow the industry. It has been a force for good. Along with two annual events, ERE owns SourceCon and Talent42, which produce events under their own banners. The live events category has ground to a standstill in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. With the fall events season still very much up in the air, expect to see more staff reductions in the space.

David responded with his input:

Is this driven by covids impact on events? That's my assumption but wanted to check on that.
Yes, this is entirely driven by the pandemic. 2019 was a great year for the company, but it's unsafe, and in most of the cities where we planned to hold events this year, it is illegal, to hold events our size.

Are there plans for the fall event season?
Yes! We have already announced the agendas and are taking registrations for SourceCon Digital 2.0 and ERE Digital 2.0. (The 1.0s were held in March and April, were the first digital events in our profession, and were very well received by our community. I am really proud of our team for pulling them together in only 2 weeks time, and it makes this that much harder.)

Is this impacting people at SourceCon & Talent42, or is it limited to ERE personnel?
It's the same company and the same team across all the brands.

If people want to reach out to those affected, do you have a resource/ POC they can go through? I'd love to help if possible.
I'd love to help the team find the next step in their careers, so anyone who is hiring for the best sales, marketing, finance, training or events professionals that I've ever worked with can email me directly at david@ere.net.

On a personal note (breaking the journalist wall): this author owes much of his career to David, and ERE. That sentiment has been reflected broadly in social media reactions, as well as calls with people in the industry. ERE will rebuild - and we will all be better for it.