2022 NBA Professional Development Conference Back In-Person!

August 9, 2022 Uncategorized

Join Us for the 2022 NBA Professional Development Conference!

We haven’t been able to gather together in person for a conference since 2019, so we are extra excited to announce that registration for the 2022 NBA Professional Development Conference is now live! This year there are some considerable differences from the previous conferences, so be sure to read through for all the information.

If you’re not familiar with our conferences, we gather together for three full days of training in all skills areas of braille transcription. Our expert committee members prep the whole year developing educational content to teach you how to properly format textbooks, how to use computer-assisted transcription software, how to apply Nemeth code guidelines to UEB, how to start your own business as a transcriber, and a whole lot more.

The conference is open to anyone, and it is appropriate for anyone who does braille transcription in their work.

When

This year the conference will take place Wednesday, November 2 through Friday, November 4, 2022.

Additionally, for those interested in joining, there will be a social event planned for the evening of Tuesday, November 1 consisting of a two-hour dinner cruise. Paid registration is required and seating is limited.

Where

This year we’ll be meeting at the Embassy Suites by Hilton San Antonio Riverwalk Downtown located at 125 E. Houston Street, San Antonio, 78205. The hotel is located right on the scenic San Antonio Riverwalk just a few minutes from restaurants, shops, and opportunities for fresh air.

All workshops will take place at the hotel.

As usual, we’ve set aside a room block at a special rate, but that will fill up. You are not required to stay at the hotel where we meet. To reserve a room by calling the hotel, they can be reached at 1-800-362-2779. Please make sure to mention that you are coming for the “NBA” event (“NBA” is our unique event code used by the hotel to apply any special rates we are being provided). Please note that once our room block is full, your accommodation will be subject to the hotel’s regular rates, so don’t wait to book your rooms.

Workshops

As we’ve done in the past, each day will consist of a morning session and an afternoon session. Each session has five workshops, so you’ll choose one in each session and attend a total of six.

Though you’ll only be able to attend one workshop from each session, we’ve added an option this year that will allow you to purchase the materials from the entire conference!

Virtual Attendance

This one is BIG.

We will be live broadcasting the entire conference using the same platform we used to produce our virtual conference in 2020. This year you’ll be able to attend in person OR from the comfort of your own office!

Virtual conference registrants will pay for a single event registration and be able to pick six workshops just like the in-person attendees. You’ll then be sent a link with the materials and to view the workshop live. You’ll even be able to participate and ask questions!

(Update!)

For the first time we’ve attempted the monumental feat of running an in-person conference and a virtual conference simultaneously. Our goal has been to deliver educational content to as many transcribers as possible, and that hasn’t changed. However, since we’ve launched registration, some hurdles have placed themselves in our way of producing the virtual portion of the conference.

Right now, our plan is to continue with producing a conference that allows for attendance from anywhere in the world, but that could change in coming weeks.

Much of our commitment to producing a virtual conference will depend on how much interest there is. We want to make the virtual conference a reality that serves the many, but it will be a monumental task to follow through with if interest is low.

This message is meant to convey two thoughts:

If you’re intending to attend the conference virtually this year, we ask that you either register soon, or at least inform the office of your intentions. That will give us a sense of how much interest there is.
On August 15^th, we’ll be evaluating the level of interest and determine if any changes need to be made.

While we attempt to keep our sails soaring in ever changing winds, we’re super appreciative of your patience and support. We couldn’t be more ecstatic to be having a conference again, and we want this one to be as great as possible for all. Your support in making that happen is enormously encouraging!

A Few Changes

For the most part, we’ve kept our conference format pretty consistent in recent years with small tweaks here and there. This year we’re making a few more tweaks. For those of you veterans used to attending, please note the following changes:

There will be no Exhibit Hall this year.
The meal plan this year will only include the Thursday evening banquet. We will not be hosting luncheons as we’ve done in the past. You are free to enjoy the breaks in whatever way you wish! We’ve added a little extra room in the lunchtime breaks to accommodate the fact that you may want to go offsite to find some food at lunchtime.
The virtual conference is a big change!

Registration Options

We’ve received a ton of feedback over the years and we try to accommodate as many needs as possible. So, this year, we’ve created a menu of options that will allow you to pick a registration option that will meet your needs. You’ll pick from one of the following.

Tier One – $175.00

Tier One Event Registration includes your choice of six workshops over the course of three days. Each attendee will receive a flash drive that includes the materials for the selected workshops.

Tier One with Banquet – $225.00

Tier One Event Registration includes your choice of six workshops over the course of three days. Each attendee will receive a flash drive that includes the materials for the selected workshops. This Registration Option also includes the Banquet that will be taking place on Thursday evening.

Tier Two – $300.00

Tier Two Event Registration includes your choice of six workshops over the course of three days. Each attendee will receive a flash drive that includes the materials for the selected workshops, as well as all of the other workshops.

Tier Two with Banquet – $350.00

Virtual Conference – $450.00

Virtual Conference Registration provides access to your choice of six workshops over the course of three days that will be made available through a live video conferencing platform.

Note: Pricing listed is for current NBA Members. Non-members will be subject to an additional $25.00 on any registration selection.

How to Register

To register a spot in-person or virtually, please visit our CVENT website where we’ve developed our registration dashboard.

If you’re registering more than one person, you’ll need to register each person individually, but you can add them to your group so you’ll only need to make one transaction. If you’re paying offline, please register and submit your Purchase Order or check as soon as possible.

Presenters: Please remember to register for the workshops that you are presenting! We need to be able to count you in that room.

More Info

You may find more info about the conference on our site as it becomes available.

If you are a vendor or business who is interested in being involved with the conference, please contact Chris Clemens in our office. We’ve developed some different sponsorship opportunities from previous years that will allow your brand to be out in front of our attendees. We would be very grateful for your involvement in any capacity!

If you’ve got questions or need assistance, please contact our office and someone will get back to you as soon as possible.