by Janet Dickelman
Excitement is building for ACB’s 2021 virtual conference and convention. Last year’s conference was fantastic, and this year will be even better. Other than a few mixers and special-interest business meetings, all sessions will not only be on the Zoom platform but will be streamed via ACB Radio. There will be 6 concurrent ACB Radio streams available for special-interest affiliates, committees and our business partners to stream their events. This will be in addition to our audio-described tours and exhibits channels. Make sure you are subscribed to the acbconvention email list to receive the latest convention related information. To subscribe to the list, send a blank e-mail to [email protected].
Convention dates are Friday, July 16 through Friday, July 23rd.
When Can We Register?
Convention registration will open on May 20th at 7 a.m. Eastern time and close at 11:59 p.m. Eastern on June 28th. On the registration form you can become an individual sponsor, purchase a Braille Forum raffle ticket and purchase your 2021 T-shirt or pin or other special merchandise from the Mini Mall.
You can register online at acbconvention.org, or by calling (651) 428-5059. Our telephone cadre will call you back within two days. When leaving a message, please provide your name, phone number and time zone.
The cost of registration is $25 for ACB members. Non-ACB members will be charged $40. If you are not a member, you can join as a member at large for $10. If you wait to register in July, the registration fees will be an additional $10.
As a convention registrant, you will also be eligible for door prizes; names will only be pulled from convention registrants. If your name is announced, you automatically win; you don’t have to call in to claim your prize.
With your convention registration, you will receive Zoom links for sessions and can subscribe to the convention newspaper. When you register, you will be provided with a bidder number for the auction.
Registration will re-open during the convention for last-minute registrations.
Convention Program Gets a Facelift
This year you will note some changes to our program format. All sessions will be listed in the convention calendar. Committees and special-interest affiliates will each be listed in the program by name and include affiliate registration costs, affiliate president or committee chair, program chair and session title. We will list each session sponsored or co-sponsored by the committee or affiliate.
In the past we had also listed session descriptions under each affiliate and committee heading. Rather than listing program descriptions multiple times, we are adding a new section to the program titled Session Descriptions. In this section, we will list each session in date and time order similar to the convention calendar. You can see what sessions your favorite special-interest affiliate or ACB committee is holding by checking their page and then quickly looking up the session description. This will reduce the size of the program by approximately 15%, which will make the print and braille copies of the program much easier to navigate and carry.
When you register for the ACB conference and convention you can request your convention program in braille, large print, NLS cartridge, or sent via email. The braille programs will be sent via UPS to ensure delivery prior to the convention. If your mailing address is a post office box, we will need a street address to deliver your program.
Convention Contacts
2021 exhibit information: Michael Smitherman, (601) 331-7740, [email protected]
2021 advertising and sponsorships: Anthony Stephens, (202) 559-2045, [email protected]
For any other convention-related questions, please contact Janet Dickelman, convention chair, (651) 428-5059 or via e-mail, [email protected].