AnitaB.org, the nonprofit behind the Grace Hopper Celebration, has canceled this year's event in Anaheim just two weeks before it was scheduled to run. CEO Brenda Darden Wilkerson said registrations and sponsorships came in well below expectations, leaving the conference short of the money needed to cover operating costs. The cancellation has also strained AnitaB.org's own finances, and the organization is now weighing strategic alternatives and future programming.
Attendees were told to cancel their own travel and lodging, with no word yet on refunds for fees already paid. Sponsors and exhibitors are being handled directly, but refund information was not available at the time of reporting. AnitaB.org has asked employers with scheduled career-fair interviews to continue those conversations directly where possible, without guarantees. The event, planned for Oct. 27–30, had announced speakers including Kara Swisher, Michelle Zatlyn, and Sinead Bovell.
Financial filings show the scale of the trouble: AnitaB.org lost $14.6 million in 2024 on revenue of $27.5 million and expenses of $42.1 million. Contributions and grants fell from $11.2 million in 2023 to $724,350 in 2024, and attendance dropped from 29,000 to 17,000. The 2024 filing put GHC's own expenses at $26.9 million against $22.4 million in revenue. With the conference's 2024 gap suggesting a worsening pattern, the future of the 32-year-old event remains unclear. AnitaB.org says it will contact registrants about fees by Oct. 26.