ABMA Annual Conference

ABMA 2020 conference has been CANCELLED

As the Covid-19 situation continues to change, we feel the best option for the ABMA 2020 conference is to cancel. There have been over 300 cases reported in the Netherlands and many are in or around the conference site. Feel free to view the link below for updated information.

https://www.rivm.nl/en/news/current-information-about-novel-coronavirus-covid-19

We will be refunding everyone’s registration costs and are working with Beekse Bergen on lodges but at this time, there is no guarantee on lodge refund. See lodging contract rules. You need to contact Beekse Bergen directly about cancelling cabins unless you plan you use them then your reservations will remain. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience to everyone involved. ABMA recognizes the financial impact on everyone and did not make this decision lightly. Many delegates have already cancelled or had their facility impose a mandatory quarantine upon return for 2 weeks. We will not be able to postpone the event due to availability at the site.

If you still plan to travel, we recommend that everyone reads and follows the advice by World Health Organization (WHO) and Center for Disease Control (CDC):

- https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public

cdc.gov/onehealth

In summary, it is important to follow the standard measures that apply to all viruses that can cause flu and colds:

Wash your hands with soap regularly
Cough and sneeze on the inside of your elbow
Use paper handkerchiefs

Guidance from the Dutch ministry of health can be found here:

https://www.rivm.nl/en/novel-coronavirus-covid-19/questions-and-answers

If you have further questions you can contact us at abma@theabma.org. Be advised it might take us some time to refund ALL the registrations and make all the notifications.

Sincerely,

Nicki Boyd, CIO ABMA

The 2020 ABMA conference will be 29 March - 2 April in BeekseBergen, the Netherlands!

Painting a Picture: Crossing Borders Between Science and Application

Beekse Bergen has cabins on site. Details on lodging are in the hotel folder.

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

Quick Links for Conference Information

BMF Scholarship

Did you know that ABMA’s Behavior Management Fund (BMF) committee has a travel scholarship available for one lucky member at each of our annual conferences? Abstract deadline for the BMF Travel Scholarship will be announced in the fall.

This scholarship is to assist an ABMA member whose institution is unable to give them financial support. The Travel Scholarship will help the award recipient by giving them the ability to present their work and it will help the organization by giving ABMA members the opportunity to hear presentations that the membership otherwise would not have the opportunity to hear and as such, the Travel Scholarship supports the ABMA Core Value of “Sharing the Knowledge.”

The abstract submission deadlines for the annual conference are generally:
early January- Abstracts due
mid January- Winner notified
end of January- Winner accept/deny

The scholarship will provide:
• Transportation: Up to $500.00 reimbursed at Conference with receipt of purchased ticket or based on government per diem if driving, verification of mileage is required.
• Hotel room for the entire conference.
• Conference registration fee (including site visits, the banquet, and any meals included with registration).
*Airport to hotel transportation and meals on your own will not be provided.
Applicant Requirements
• Applicant must be an ABMA member in good standing. ABMA membership must be valid through the dates of the conference for the given Travel Scholarship Award year.
• Applicant may not have received this scholarship in the previous year.
• Applicant must submit the online abstract submission form, check the BMF scholarship box within the form, and complete the additional scholarship questions after checking the BMF box within the online form. Incomplete submissions will not be considered. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure application materials are complete; applicants will not be notified if the application materials are incomplete.

Application Process:
There are 3 required components of the BMF Travel Scholarship application:
1. Complete the online Abstract Submission Form. Don’t forget to check the box for BMF!
2. Complete the BMF questions within the online abstract submission form after you check the box for BMF.
3. Travel Scholarship winner must officially accept the award within one week of email notification, otherwise the award will be offered to the runner-up.

Abstract Submissions

If you have a behavior management accomplishment, an intriguing case study, a research project, or innovation for the field, especially one that resonates with the theme of the conference, please come share it with your colleagues! The abstract deadline for the 2021 Conference will be announced in the fall.

Abstract review will be based on 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-Chair, Antonio Ramirez, at abmaabstracts@gmail.com or the 2021 Vice President, Tricia Dees at ttutricia@yahoo.com.

Presentations are 20 minutes total. Presenters should plan for a few minutes of questions afterwards (e.g. 17 minute presentation, 3 minutes for questions). It is encouraged to be available for questions throughout the remainder of the week. Poster presenters are required to stand by their posters on poster night and discuss their poster with conference attendees. Posters will be available to view during the entire conference so please be prepared to turn in your poster at registration so it can be set up the next day. If poster night is held off site, ABMA will transport and set up your poster but you are responsible for it after poster night concludes.

General Timeline for Abstract Submissions are:

mid January- abstracts due by midnight EST

late January- notifications to presenters

end of January- presenters accept/decline

One week before conference- papers due for proceedings

Conference Registration

If you’re an AAZK or IMATA member you can receive the ABMA member rate! Please download & submit the registration form. We do not accept American Express. Pricing for the ABMA conference will be announced in the fall.

Weekly registrations are for the week of 29 March-2 April 2020. The icebreaker and the banquet are included in the cost of your weekly registration- do not purchase these from the a la carte menu unless you plan to have an extra person attend for that event only. There will be no weekly registrations the week before the conference to allow us time to compile accurate numbers to the hotel.

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 will again be offering CEU’s for a variety of organizations. Once the program is finalized we will submit for credits and post here. We normally offer CEU’s for the following organizations:
IAABC
IATCB
CCPDT
NAI

We look forward to seeing you in next year!

Hotel

ROOMMATES: Do you need a roommate for the conference? We will have a roommate coordinator, which will be announced in the fall. If you need a roommate, the following information will be needed:

Your gender and your roommate gender preference
How many roommates you would like to have
How many days you need a roommate
Your name and email

AMENITIES: Details coming soon.

PARKING: Details coming soon.

DINING: Do you have dietary restrictions? The hotel will be happy to accommodate you! Please inform them upon check-in of your dietary needs. Don’t forget to let the ABMA know of your dietary restrictions during the online registration process.

Transportation

Hotel Location: details coming soon.

Airlines: Try these search engines for low international fares. Momondo and Skyscanner.