The Grace Hopper Celebration, organized by AnitaB.org, has been canceled just two weeks before its scheduled start date of October 27. The nonprofit cited insufficient registration numbers and sponsorship commitments as the primary reasons for the decision, noting that these factors failed to cover the event's operational costs.
Financial records from 2024 show that AnitaB.org incurred a loss of $14.6 million, with total revenue reaching $27.5 million against expenses of $42.1 million. Contributions and grants dropped significantly from $11.2 million in 2023 to $724,350 in 2024. Additionally, total attendance fell from 29,000 in 2023 to 17,000 in 2024.
The conference, which was set to take place at the Anaheim Convention Center, faced a specific deficit for the event itself, with expenses totaling $26.9 million against $22.4 million in revenue. The organization has stated that it will contact registered attendees regarding their fees by October 26, though no specific refund policy has been confirmed.
AnitaB.org has requested that employers maintain scheduled career-fair interviews directly where possible. The event, founded in 1994, typically involves over 700 organizations and features major corporate sponsors, including Google, Goldman Sachs, and Disney. Future plans for the conference remain uncertain following this cancellation.
