ABMA Annual Conference

It's Island Time! The ABMA invites you to join us in Galveston, TX in 2025 and help celebrate our 25th anniversary!

The conference theme is New Perspectives: Unlocking Strategies For Success

Dates: 27 April - 2 May 2025

Location: Moody Gardens Hotel is the conference hotel.

Our Conservation Partner for the 2025 conference is Mission Wildlife.
A portion of your conference registration fee will go towards this amazing organization.

ABMA Merchandise Available!

Upload your conference photos here! **By uploading your photo(s) you agree to the ABMA digital media general disclaimer: The undersigned (the "Photographer") hereby irrevocably grants to the Animal Behavior Management Alliance (the “ABMA") full and complete permission to use the submitted digital media in any ABMA publication, including, but not limited to, use in Behavior Month, Engage, illustrations, internet content, and other outlets of publication and marketing. With the exception of the foregoing, the ABMA makes no claims to ownership of the submitted digital media and ownership rights are retained by the Photographer.

Conference Policies Conference Policies Code of Conduct The ABMA is committed to providing a safe, productive, and welcoming environment for all. Each and every participant, including attendees, speakers, volunteers, and exhibitors, is expected to understand and follow attendance policies. These expectations apply to all ABMA events. Personal Safety and Security The ABMA will work with venue staff to make sure meeting participants are safe. We ask that all attendees report any questionable activity to any ABMA leadership or venue security staff for immediate action. No concern is too small – if you see something, say something. · {C}Be aware of your surroundings at all times. · {C}Regardless of where you are, use the buddy system when walking to and from the conference location, networking event locations especially during early or late hours. · {C}Don’t wear your meeting badge on the street. Take it off as soon as you leave the venue. · {C}Don’t carry a lot of cash or credit cards. · {C}Don’t leave personal property unattended anywhere, anytime. In an emergency, you should ask any ABMA leadership or the on-site security personnel to help you. Responsible Drinking At many ABMA networking events, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are served. The ABMA expects participants at our events to drink responsibly. The ABMA and conference host event staff have the right to deny service to participants and may require a participant to leave the event. Unacceptable Conduct · Harassment, intimidation, or discrimination in any form. · Any abuse, including physical, verbal or non-verbal abuse, of any attendee, speaker, volunteer, exhibitor, ABMA representative, service provider, or any other meeting guest. · Disruption of presentations at sessions, in the exhibit hall, or at any events organized by ABMA at the meeting venue, hotels, or other ABMA contracted facilities. · Examples of unacceptable behavior include comments related to gender, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, religion, national origin, political affiliation, inappropriate use of nudity and/or sexual images in public spaces or in presentations, or threatening or stalking any attendee, speaker, volunteer, exhibitor, ABMA team member, service provider, or other meeting guest. Sexual Harassment Sexual harassment is unacceptable conduct of a sexual nature which makes a person feel uncomfortable, offended, humiliated and/or intimidated. Examples of conduct or behavior which constitute sexual harassment include, but are not limited to: · Physical conduct · Physical violence, including sexual assault · Unwelcome physical contact or inappropriate touching · The use of threats or rewards to solicit sexual favors Verbal conduct · Comments or insults based on appearance, age, private life, etc. · Sexual comments, stories or jokes · Sexual advances · Repeated and unwanted social invitations for dates or physical intimacy · Condescending or sexist remarks · Sending sexually explicit messages (by phone or email) Non-verbal conduct · Display of sexually explicit or suggestive material or images · Sexually-suggestive gestures · Whistling or “cat calling” Reporting Unacceptable Conduct If you or anyone else is in immediate danger at any time, please contact local law enforcement (by calling 911) and immediately notify facility security. If you or anyone else is the subject of unacceptable conduct, please contact any of the ABMA staff below. The ABMA has zero-tolerance for any form of discrimination or harassment, including sexual harassment. If you experience or observe harassment or hear of any incidents of unacceptable behavior, ABMA asks that you please inform any of the following so that we can take action. Jake Belair, ABMA Vice President Anaka Nazareth ABMA President All reports will be treated seriously and promptly. Incidents will be handled with respect for the privacy of the victim, and will be confidential to the extent practical, given the circumstances. Reports may also be made anonymously. Upon receiving a complaint, the matter may be further investigated by ABMA. Actions to be taken will be discussed beforehand with the victim of the harassing behavior, where possible. If the complaint is of a criminal nature, legal authorities will be notified. If the offense is not of a criminal nature, the ABMA team member receiving the report will listen to the victim and discuss next steps. If a person has been found to have harassed another person, any of the following may take place: · Verbal or written warning; · Suspension of attendance at ABMA sponsored events; · Prohibit attendance at any future meeting The ABMA team member receiving the report will respect any and all requests of the victim to remain anonymous. Unacceptable conduct may be part of a larger pattern of repeated harassment. Please alert ABMA to all such conduct regardless of the offender’s identity or job title, even if you prefer your report to remain anonymous. Reports of unacceptable conduct by an individual may also be reported by to an individual’s employer. Age Requirements No one under the age of 18 is permitted to register and attend the conference sessions, meetings, or social events, unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian throughout the entire conference. That parent or guardian must be a registered attendee and over the age of 18. Children under the age of 18 must be registered and accompanied by a registered parent/guardian over the age of 18 at all times. Media Photographers will be taking pictures at the conference, which may be used for promotional and educational purposes. Registration or participation in the meeting and other activities constitutes an agreement to allow ABMA to use and distribute attendees image or voice in photographs and recordings of the meeting - now and in the future. BMF Scholarship BMF TRAVEL SCHOLARSHIP Did you know that ABMA’s Behavior Management Fund (BMF) committee will provide a travel scholarship for the 2025 annual conference? This scholarship is to assist anyone whose institution is unable to give them financial support. This will help an award recipient have the ability to present their work and help the organization by giving our membership the opportunity to hear information that supports the ABMA’s Core Value of “Sharing the Knowledge”. Submit your scholarship application! Timeline for the 2025 Travel Scholarship Application Submissions: 6 September- scholarship submission Opens! 1 December- scholarship submission due by midnight EST 10 January- notification to winner 20 January- winner to accept/decline 20 April- papers due for proceedings Submit your travel scholarship application! Abstract Submissions If you have a behavior management accomplishment, an intriguing case study, a research project, or an innovation for the field, especially one that resonates with the theme of the conference, please come share it with your colleagues! The abstract submission details for the 2025 annual conference are below. Submit your abstract! Abstracts are evaluated on the following parameters: quality of the abstract, content and subject matter of the paper, application of the ABMA mission statement, and incorporation of the theme of the conference. Please keep in mind that we receive a number of quality submissions each year, and not all abstracts can necessarily be accepted for presentation. When your abstract is accepted for either a poster or presentation you are required to submit a paper for the conference proceedings prior to presenting. This submission deadline is one week before the conference. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Conference Content Advisory Committee Co-Chairs or the 2024 1st Vice President. Presentation slots are 20 minutes total. Presenters should plan for a few minutes of questions within that 20 minute timeframe. It is encouraged to be available for questions throughout the remainder of the conference. Poster presentations will be part of the conference as well. Details on your presentation will be emailed to you if you are selected as a presenter. Timeline for the 2025 Abstract Submissions: 6 September- abstract submission Opens! 1 December- abstracts due by midnight EST 12 January- notifications to presenters 26 January- presenters accept/decline 20 April- papers due for proceedings Submit your abstract! Conference Registration Conference Pricing: Pricing for the conference is listed below. We are excited to provide food for all but 2 meals. That's right, food is included with your registration! You must login to receive the member rate. Registration will open soon. Come celebrate our 25th anniversary! Reciprocity Registration: If you are registering as a reciprocity member from AAZK or IMATA, use this registration form AND contact our CFO for payment. The ABMA reserves the right to deny the member rate upon verifying your member status- if you are not a member of AAZK or IMATA you will be charged the non-member rate. CREDIT CARD TRANSACTIONS: Your credit card transaction will appear on your credit card statement from PayPal as either THEABMA or THEANIMALBEHAVIOR. If you file a dispute over an ABMA transaction, either with your credit card company or PayPal, which turns out to be an approved ABMA transaction, you will incur any PayPal fees (~$20) associated with resolving this error for which the ABMA was charged. EARLY Registration: The weekly registration includes the icebreaker, all presentations, site visit, silent auction, poster presentations, and the banquet. You do not need to purchase any of these items from the a la cart menu. The pre-conference workshop and post conference trip are NOT included in the weekly registration and will need to be purchased separately. ABMA conference T shirts and Missison Wildlife sweatshirts are available for purchase when you register and will be guaranteed your size. Member Weekly Early registration- $599 available for purchase until 28 Feb 2025. The next day, 1 March, the price increases. Non-member Weekly Early registration- $675 available for purchase until 28 Feb 2025. The next day, 1 March, the price increases. Member Daily Early registration- $140 available for purchase until 28 Feb 2025. The next day, 1 March, the price increases. Non-member Daily Early registration $270 available for purchase from now until 28 Feb 2025. The next day, 1 March, the price increases. REGULAR Registration:* No registrations 1 week before the conference; however, there will be on-site registration. The weekly registration includes the icebreaker, all presentations, site visit, silent auction, poster presentations, and the banquet. You do not need to purchase any of these items from the a la cart menu. The pre-conference workshop and post conference trip are NOT included in the weekly registration and will need to be purchased separately. ABMA conference T shirts and Mission Wildlife sweatshirts are available for purchase; however, size may not be guaranteed as we have to submit our order before regular registration closes. Member Full Weekly registration- $650 available for purchase from 1 March to 17 April 2025. The next day, 18 April, no weekly registrations will be available for purchase until the conference starts on 27 April. Non-member Full Weekly registration- $725 available for purchase from 1 March to 17 April 2025. The next day, 18 April, no weekly registrations will be available for purchase until the conference starts on 27 April. Member Daily Full registration- $199 available for purchase from 1 March to 20 April March 2025. Not zoo day. Non-member Daily Full registration- $325 available for purchase from 1 March to 20 April March 2025. Virtual Conference Registration: Yes, this option is available for the 2025 conference! All conference attendees will have complimentary access to animalprofessional.com for a limited time to watch permission-granted conference presentations. ABMA members always have access! Virtual weekly member registration $750 available for purchase from now until 20 April 2025. Virtual weekly non-member registration $850 available for purchase from now until 20 April 2025. Virtual daily registration $225 available for purchase from now until 20 April 2025. Virtual facility registration with 4 logins $2000 available for purchase from now until 20 April 2025. Virtual facility registration with 6 logins $2500 available for purchase from now until 20 April 2025. ON SITE Registration:* We will accept on site registrations for weekly and daily registrations. Member On-site Weekly registration- $699 available for purchase from 27 April-2 May 2025. Non-member On-site Weekly registration- $775 available for purchase from 27 April-2 May 2025. Onsite Member Daily Registration- $375 available for purchase from 27 April-2 May 2025. Onsite Non-member Daily Registration- $425 available for purchase from 27 April-2 May 2025. A la Carte Items: The icebreaker, silent auction, and banquet ARE included in the weekly registration costs and you do not need to purchase them again. Daily Registrations do not include these extra events and will need to be purchased separately. The pre-conference workshop and post conference trip are an additional cost for any registration. Pre Conference workshop, member $150 on Sunday 27 April 2025 from 9-5. Location: Moody Gardens Hotel Pre Conference workshop, non-member $199 on Sunday 27 April 2025 from 9-5. Location: Moody Gardens Hotel Icebreaker- $99 on Sunday 27 April from 6-9pm available for purchase until 27 April 2025. Location: Moody Gardens Aquarium Silent Auction- $99 on Tuesday 29 April from 6-9pm available for purchase until 29 April 2025. Banquet- $99 on Friday 2 May from 6-10pm available for purchase until 30 April 2025. Post Conference Trip- $50 on Saturday 3 May. Bus leaves at 9am to Houston Zoo, one way trip. General Schedule of Events: Sunday, 27 April- Pre-conference workshop, registration, ice breaker Meals provided: lunch for workshop; heavy hors d'oeuvres at icebreaker Monday, 28 April- keynote speaker, presentations, poster presentations, professional development night Meals provided: morning break, lunch, afternoon break, heavy hors d'oeuvres Tuesday, 29 April- presentations, Research Openness panel, poster presentations, silent auction Meals provided: morning break, lunch, afternoon break, heavy hors d'oeuvres Wednesday, 30 April- presentations, poster presentations Meals provided: morning break, lunch, afternoon break dinner on your own* Thursday, 1 May- Member business meeting, Zoo Day! Meals provided: breakfast, lunch dinner on your own* Friday, 2 May- presentations, poster presentations, banquet Meals provided: morning break, lunch, afternoon break, banquet meal See program for a more detailed schedule Contact us if you have any questions. REFUND POLICY: 100% until 30 days before the start of the conference 50% from 29 days until 8 days before the conference No refunds starting the week before the conference CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDITS (CEU’s): We typically offer CEU’s for a variety of organizations. Once the program is finalized we will submit for credits and post here. These are the organizations we typically provide CEU's for. If you need CEU's for another organization just let us know. IAABC- IATCB- CCPDT- NAI- We look forward to seeing you in Galveston! Hotel The Moody Gardens Hotel is the conference hotel. Rate: $199/night. Deadline to reserve your room is 4 April 2025. Reserve Your Room! Parking at the hotel is free! There are two (2) outdoor parking lots next to the hotel and a parking garage by the convention center (which does connect to the hotel). Valet Parking is $25/night. Looking for a roommate? We can help! Send us an email to lodging@theabma.org and we will provide you with a list of other conference attendees looking for roommates. By providing a resource to assist conference attendees with their lodging finances, the conference attendee hereby agrees to not hold liable The Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA) for any of the roommate choices attendees may consider, pursue, and/or agree upon. It is the sole responsibility of the conference attendee to communicate with and research a potential roommate for the annual conference. The ABMA is merely providing a means to communicate, which will only be released via electronic media to the individual conference attendee requesting the aforementioned assistance. Transportation There are TWO airports in Houston. Houston Hobby (HOU) is the closest airport to Galveston Island. Yes, Galveston is an island! Hobby is a HUB for Southwest and is a minimum 45 minutes away. Bush Intercontinental (IAH) is the larger airport and the furthest away from the island. It's a HUB for United and is a minimum 75 minutes away. Click here for more information about these airports. Uber and Lyft will service both airports. Galveston Limousine offers shuttle service to both airports as well as single service transportation. Please incorporate extra time if you will be traveling to an airport during rush hour traffic (0700-0900, 1500-1900) so you do not miss your flight! Sponsors Our annual conference would not be possible without the support of our sponsors. If you are interested in sponsoring, the Galveston sponsorship packet is available to view here or by clicking the photo below. Vendor booth space is available! You can also contact us for more information. Thank you to our conference sponsors! This conference would not happen without you. Pre and Post Conference Details The 25th annual ABMA Conference is pleased to announce several Pre and Post conference opportunities. Pre-Conference We have TWO exciting pre-conference opportunities. Option 1: Pre-Conference Workshop, Sunday 27 April Join us for a unique and interactive class on “Hoof Dissection and Comparative Anatomy” performed by Paige Poss and hosted by the Animal Behavior Management Alliance! In this workshop, we will dive into the fascinating world of hoof anatomy, with a primary focus on horse hooves. Our goal is to equip animal keepers working with hoof stock with the knowledge and skills needed to better care for these animals’ feet. With limited information available on many species, we aim to bridge this gap by providing a comprehensive understanding of basic hoof anatomy, the functions of various structures, and the growth process of hooves. To enrich your learning experience, we will explore comparative anatomy including hooves from a variety of species such as donkeys, cattle, goats/sheep, and possibly reindeer. By examining and comparing different hooves, participants will gain a three-dimensional perspective on how each hoof functions and the unique structures it comprises. This workshop is designed to be interactive and hands-on, allowing each participant to touch and manipulate every specimen. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your knowledge and practical skills in hoof care management. Join us for a truly immersive learning experience! Lunch will be provided for this all-day workshop. Maximum attendees- 30 Cost: Member- $150, Non-member- $199 Option 2: FeatherFest, Saturday 26 April and Sunday 27 April Calling ALL Birders and Photographers! If you are a birder then you need to experience FeatherFest! The ABMA conference is scheduled at the height of migratory bird season for the upper Texas coast. We will provide an early bird registration link for FeatherFest so you can participate in some unique birding opportunities. This will not be managed by the ABMA; it will all be managed by FeatherFest. However, please let us know you will be attending by checking the FeatherFest box on the conference registration form. We want to provide you with contact information to make sure if you have any issues that you have a local to assist you! Depending on the tour(s) you choose, lunch will either be provided or on your own. Post Conference A trip to both the Houston Downtown Aquarium and the Houston Zoo will be available to explore at your leisure. This will be a one-way trip on Saturday, 3 May. Arrive at the aquarium at 10am and spend 2 hours exploring. Next stop is the Houston Zoo just a few minutes away where you can stay until closing. If you need to leave for the airport from either the aquarium or the zoo your luggage will be completely secure at both locations and you are welcome to depart from either location. Or, choose to stay Saturday night at a hotel closer to the airport to catch your flight. More details and pricing coming soon! Site Visits There will be one site visit for the 2025 ABMA conference. We will be visiting Moody Gardens, which is on the same property as the hotel. It's just a short walk across the parking lot! However, if you will be driving to Moody Gardens, there is free parking. While at the zoo, lunch will be provided and there will be several opportunities for ABMA behind-the-scenes and special programs. Badge Entries Moody Gardens has graciously extended your badge entry to the Aquarium and Rainforest pyramids all week with your ABMA badge. We are working with nearby facilities for complimentary badge entries before and after the conference. Details will be posted as they become available. Conference Details There are many questions you may have about the upcoming annual conference in Galveston. If we have not addressed your question here, please contact us. The 2025 conference will be 6 days, including the icebreaker the evening before the conference officially kicks off. Each day will filled with learning and networking opportunities. There will be a zoo day at Moody Gardens. What's the weather like in Galveston in April? Weather typically is in the upper 70's to low 80's and can be rainy. What should I wear to the conference? The ABMA Conference is a casual event. Keep in mind the ballroom where presentations are held will most likely be cold, so bring a jacket. Or you can buy one at the merchandise table! Presenters typically wear business casual on the day of their presentation. The banquet can be a little more formal but it's not required to wear a suit and tie or evening dress. Will food be provided? Yes, some food will be provided. There will be snacks at breaks every day we are at the hotel for presentations. The icebreaker will have food as will the banquet. Zoo Day will also have a meal provided. If more meals are provided, we'll note that on the schedule. What do I need for registration? Registration will be Sunday (1pm-5pm) at the conference hotel on the south side of the Frances Ann Moody Ballroom. We will need your name to verify you registered for the conference. If you're paying upon arrival, a payment method will be needed. We accept cash and credit cards (AMEX, Discover, MasterCard & Visa). If you're presenting you'll need to stop at the AnimalProfessional.com tabe to get details about your presentation timeslot. If you have a poster, we have a table you can drop that off at. If you have a silent auction item (or more than one!) we will have a table so you can drop that off too. Electricity in the United States runs on 110. If you're an international traveler, please bring your appropriate converters. Questions? Contact us or the first VP directly. We look forward to seeing you soon! Silent Auction There will be a silent auction during the conference. Get Excited! Start brainstorming on some great items- doesn't have to be animal related- and you can either bring them with you to the conference or mail to us. If you prefer to mail your item(s), please let the conference chair know. Proceeds from the silent auction benefit the Behavior Management Fund (BMF). Keynote We are excited to announce our keynote speaker for the 2025 conference will be Julie Scardina! Julie Scardina is President and co-founder of Mission Wildlife, a non-profit organization dedicated to species conservation, bringing support to animals both locally and globally. Her lifelong love of animals led to careers as animal trainer, public educator and conservationist. Julie served as Corporate Director of Training and Animal Ambassador Programs, as well as media spokesperson for SeaWorld and Busch Gardens. Among thousands of appearances, Julie was the most frequent guest on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and appeared on the Today Show over 100 times discussing animals and conservation. Julie has been recognized for her work with a variety of awards: an Emmy for educational programming, a US Fish & Wildlife Service award for conservation, a collegiate Hall of Fame induction, and IMATA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Julie serves on the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders advisory board, sharing knowledge and coaching up and coming leaders in the field of conservation. She is co-author of the award-winning book Wildlife Heroes, highlighting 40 conservationists and their work to save imperiled species. Julie believes “we can all be wildlife heroes - actions such as creating your own backyard habitat and making informed consumer choices make a big difference for the health of our planet and all its inhabitants.” Featured Speakers Learn more about the featured speakers for the 2025 ABMA conference. Details will be posted as they are finalized. Program To be green, the ABMA does not hand out printed programs. We will have a Whova app for the 2025 conference. You can download the Whova app at any time; however, the ABMA conference within Whova will not be available to view until closer to the conference. Don't worry! We'll let you know when you can access the conference details. Get our official event app, iOS Android For Blackberry or Windows Phone, Click here For feature details, visit Whova ABMA Conference Program times are listed in Central (CST). The schedule is subject to change. Details will be posted as they are finalized. * Denotes presentation speaker(s) from a multi-authored paper. Below is our general schedule- a more detailed schedule will be posted in Spring 2025. Saturday, 26 April FeatherFest! Sunday, 27 April Pre-Conference Workshop (lunch provided) FeatherFest! Registration 1-5pm Icebreaker (heavy hors d'oeuvres provided) 6-9pm Monday, 28 April Keynote Speaker- Julie Scardina Presentations Poster Presentations (Group A) Professional Development Night Meals provided: morning break, lunch, afternoon break, heavy hors d'oeuvres Tuesday, 29 April Presentations Research Openness Panel Poster Presentations (Group B) Silent Auction Meals provided: morning break, lunch, afternoon break, heavy hors d'oeuvres Wednesday, 30 April Presentations Poster Presentations (Group A) Meals provided: morning break, lunch, afternoon break dinner on your own* Thursday, 1 May Member Business Meeting Zoo Day Meals provided: breakfast, lunch dinner on your own* Friday, 2 May Presentations Poster Presentations (Group B) Banquet Meals provided: morning break, lunch, afternoon break, banquet dinner We look forward to seeing you at the 2025 conference in Galveston!

Details will be posted as they are finalized. If you have questions, don't hesitate to contact us. We look forward to seeing you in person in Galveston!

The 25th annual ABMA Conference is pleased to announce several Pre and Post conference opportunities.

Learn more about the featured speakers for the 2025 ABMA conference. Details will be posted as they are finalized.