ABMA Annual Conference

The ABMA is partnering with IAATE (International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators) for a joint conference in Cincinnati in 2026!

The conference theme is Partnering For Success

Dates: 29 March - 2 April 2026

Location: Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza is the conference hotel. Room rate is $169/night.

Our Conservation Partner for the 2026 conference is the Namibian Foundation for the Conservation of Seabirds (NAMCOB).
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 2026 annual conference? The scholarship will provide: The purpose of this scholarship is to assist a conference attendee whose institution is unable to provide 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 organizations by giving attendees the opportunity to hear presentations that the memberships otherwise would not have the opportunity to hear and as such, the Travel Scholarship supports our goal of sharing the knowledge. Complimentary Conference Registration A $500 travel reimbursement BMF will pay for the presenter's hotel room Applicant Requirements: Applicant may not have received this scholarship in the previous year Applicant is required to submit one letter of reccomendation Submit your abstract here! Timeline for Abstract Submissions: Deadline for submissions- 1 November Authors notified- 29 November Accept/Deny presenting- 4 December Congratulations to Sarah van Herpt from Animals Asia as the winner of the 2025 BMF Scholarship! Healing Traumatised Bears: A Case Study 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 2026 joint ABMA-IAATE conference are detailed below. Submit your abstract here! 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 2026 1st Vice President. Presentation slots are 30 minutes total. There are a few 60 minute time slots available. Q&A after presentations will be exclusively on the Whova app; however, we encourage all presenters 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. Submit your abstract here! Timeline for the 2026 Abstract Submissions: Deadline for submission- 1 November Authors notified- 6 December Accept/Deny presenting- 20 December Conference Registration Conference Pricing: Pricing for the joint conference will be announced soon! Reciprocity Registration: If you want to utilize your reciprocity membership from AAZK or IMATA, you must contact us first to receive a coupon code to register. 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: This registration is at a discounted rate. Details will be posted when they are finalized. REGULAR Registration: This registration is at a higher rate. Details will be be posted when they are finalized. Virtual Conference Registration: Yes, this option is available for the 2026 conference! Details will be be posted when they are finalized. ON SITE Registration: We will accept on site registrations for weekly and daily registrations. 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 and post conference items are an additional cost for any registration. Pre Conference workshop- Sunday, 29 March. Details coming soon! Icebreaker- Sunday, 29 March. Details coming soon! Silent Auction- Details coming soon! Banquet- Details coming soon! Post Conference Trip- Friday, 3 April. Details coming soon! General Schedule of Events: details will be posted when finalized Sunday, 29 March- pre-conference workshop, registration, icebreaker Monday, 30 March- Tuesday, 31 March- Wednesday, 1 April- Thursday, 2 April- Friday, 3 April- post conference trip 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- We look forward to seeing you in Cincinnati! Hotel The Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza is the conference hotel. Rate: $169/night Reservations: Reserve your room! Deadline to book your room is 9 March 2026. Check in is 4pm; check out is 11am. 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 The Cincinnati Airport (CVG) is actually in Kentucy. Not to worry, Cincinnati is a just a short drive across the river! Click here for more information about this airport. Uber and Lyft will service both airports. Sponsors Our annual conference would not be possible without the support of our sponsors. If you are interested in sponsoring, the Cincinnati sponsorship packet will soon be available to view. Vendor booth space will be 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 Pre-Conferece Workshop Sunday, March 29 8:30am- 4:00pm The Fine Art of Training Animals and Producing Inspirational Public Programs by Steve Martin, Natural Encounters, Inc. Cost- $100 This workshop will go beyond conventional positive reinforcement training lectures to describe the intricate details that trainers may not know or could overlook. This workshop will help attendees see how insightful observations, adjustments in perspective, and important changes to training strategies can produce extraordinary training outcomes that exceed expectations and promote better welfare for animals. This workshop will also describe how to empower animals to do what nature built them to do and stage these natural behaviors for our guests to experience. Producing inspirational educational programs is a critical aspect of our relationship with our guests. After attending this workshop, attendees will understand how: 1. Knowing and using the science of behavior change principles makes for a better trainer. 2. To dramatically improve their use of positive reinforcement to shape behavior. 3. To use positive reinforcement to replace unwanted behavior with desirable behavior. 4. To create trusting relationships with animals, including human animals. 5. To solve behavior problems and challenges. 6. To operationalize the terms ‘choice’ and ‘control’ and use these concepts to train desirable behavior, reduce stress, and promote enhanced welfare. 7. To gain voluntary participation from their animals in husbandry and medical behaviors. 8. To give animals a voice through their body language, and a vote in how we interact with them. 9. To shape behavior at the animal’s pace, which may be much faster than many think possible. 10. To produce engaging presentations that inspire caring emotions that lead to conservation action. Keynote We are excited to announce Thane Maynard as our 2026 keynote speaker! Thane Maynard is Executive Director of the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden. The mission of his work mirrors that of the zoo - to celebrate and share the story of wildlife and conservation. Thane has authored more than a dozen books, the most recent, “Hope For Animals & Their World,” was coauthored with Jane Goodall. He has also shared science and environmental news nationwide through his longtime public radio program, “The 90Second Naturalist.” Maynard’s travels have spanned five continents in promoting biological diversity, natural history, and wildlife conservation, earning him a membership in the Explorers Club. He is an active member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), and a member of the Board of Trustees for the Margo Marsh Biodiversity Foundation, a primate conservation fund headquartered in Washington, D.C. Born and raised in central Florida, Thane earned his bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Rollins College in Winter Park, FL., and his master’s degree in wildlife ecology fork the University of Michigan School of Natural Resources. Featured Speakers Featured speakers for the 2026 ABMA IMATA joint conference will be announced soon. Entertainment Conference Entertainment The Queen City provides some unique opportunities for networking and entertainment throughout the conference. Check back for more updates. Evening Entertainment After the day's papers have concluded, we have something for everyone to be social and continue the networking! The hotel lobby has a beautiful bar. Fountain Square has easy access to transportation and local restaurants. Sunday night:** Kick off the conference week by attending the icebreaker. This will be a fun evening of mingling with other conference attendees! Enjoy heavy hors d'oeuvres, drinks, and fun games while you explore the aquarium and meet animal ambassadors. Hospitality Suite will be nightly. Site Visits There will be one site visit for the 2026 ABMA IAATE conference. We will be visiting the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens. While at the zoo, lunch will be provided and there will be several opportunities for behind-the-scenes and special programs. 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). Badge Entries 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 Cincinnati. If we have not addressed your question here, please contact us. The 2026 conference will be 5 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 the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens. What's the weather like in Cincinnati in March? Weather for early spring in the northern United States is still cool, typically in the 50's with overnight temperatures near freezing. March can also be rainy so bring a rain jacket. What should I wear to the conference? The ABMA and IAATE Conferences are 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, there will be snacks at breaks. The icebreaker and banquet will have food provided. 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 hotel. 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 raffle 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! Program ABMA Conference Program times are listed in Central (CST). The schedule is subject to change. Details will be posted as they are finalized.

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 Cincinnati!

Pre-Conferece Workshop

Featured speakers for the 2026 ABMA IMATA joint conference will be announced soon.