by Janet Dickelman
We will be partnering with the Blinded Veterans Association for a week to remember. BVA and ACB will share the exhibit hall, which will bring new and exciting exhibitors to the convention. When registering for the convention, you will be able to register for BVA events, and we will utilize the same information desk, volunteers and A/V resources. This will be a wonderful opportunity for everyone!
Announcing the 2024 Talking Book Narrator!
Mare Trevathan has narrated 767 talking books for NLS. She has her own website, MareTrevathan.com, where she has posted this as an introduction:
“Hi, I’m Mare. (Rhymes with “dare.”) She/her. I’ve narrated over 850 audiobooks, recording for Podium, Dreamscape, National Library Service, Audible, Analog Friends, and others. I voice a lot of commercials, explainers, and character stuff, too. I have deep experience performing Shakespeare, but also love non-traditional performance.
“In recent years, I’ve performed in one-on-one theater at the Denver Museum of Contemporary Art; directed microtheater in a bookstore and Denver’s central library for Off-Center; and worked with architects in Ahmedabad, India creating “dance about buildings” with Shubra Raje. I’m an associate artist at Local Theater Company, a board member with IDEA Stages, and a frequent instructor with Think 360 Arts and Denver Center Theatre Education.”
Since this year’s convention will be in Jacksonville, Fla., all times listed below are Eastern time. As we did in 2023, we will begin convention events virtually.
Wednesday, June 19, Candidates’ Forum, 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 22, don’t miss our hugely popular virtual summer auction!
Monday, June 24
7 p.m.: Call to order, standing rules, first credentials report, first reading of constitution and bylaws report.
7:30 p.m.: nominating committee
Wednesday, June 26:
10 a.m. – 12 p.m.: Exhibitor open house
Thursday, June 27 through Saturday, June 29
10 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.: Virtual-only programming; affiliate business meetings, ACB committee, special-interest affiliates and business partner sessions
Hotel Details
Room rates at the Hyatt Riverfront in Jacksonville are $99 per night, plus tax. To make reservations online, go to https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/group-booking/JAXRJ/G-ACOB. If you prefer to make reservations by phone, call 1-800-233-1234, and use Code G-ACOB.
Now for the In-Person Portion
Friday, July 5 will be the ACB board meeting, our first tours and the welcome to Jacksonville party.
Beginning Saturday, July 6 through Wednesday, July 10, committees, special-interest affiliates and business partners may hold events in Jacksonville.
During session times we will have two hybrid rooms, offer two Zoom-only sessions, and provide space for other sessions that are in-person only. In-person-only sessions (excluding mixers and other purely social events) will not be recorded. Other events can be recorded by ACB and will be available as podcasts, but they will not have Zoom capability.
In addition to the two hybrid rooms, we can hold up to 6 concurrent sessions.
General Sessions
This year, due to scheduling and required ballroom setup, the opening general session will be held on Sunday evening, July 7 at 7 p.m.
On Monday, July 8 from 9 to 11:30 a.m., there will be two breakout sessions determined by the advocacy steering committee. These sessions will both be hybrid. This was a very popular feature last year and allowed our A/V team to make any needed adjustments to the ballroom.
Daily general sessions Tuesday and Wednesday will be from 8:30 to noon; and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Exhibit Hall
Based on feedback from the 2023 convention survey and from a questionnaire we sent our vendors, this year the exhibit hall will open on Sunday, July 7 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday and Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Staying in Touch
The convention announce list will be filled with information. To subscribe to the list, send a blank e-mail to [email protected]. If you received updates for the 2023 convention, you do not need to re-subscribe.
For any convention-related questions, please contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, (651) 428-5059 or via e-mail, [email protected].