ABMA Annual Conference

The ABMA invites you to join us in Galveston, TX in 2025!
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 SCHOLARSHIP Did you know that ABMA’s Behavior Management Fund (BMF) committee will provide a 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”. Details will be posted in October regarding the scholarship submission process. 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 will be posted in October. 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 will be posted soon. However, a general guideline is: September/October- open for abstract submission December- abstracts due by midnight EST Early January- notifications to presenters Late January- presenters accept/decline 20 April- papers due for proceedings Conference Registration Conference Pricing: Pricing for the conference will be announced soon. You must login to receive the member rate. 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. EARLY Registration: The weekly registration includes the icebreaker, all presentations, site visit, silent auction/poster night, and the banquet. You do not need to purchase any of these items from the a la cart menu. 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 night, and the banquet. You do not need to purchase any of these items from the a la cart menu. The pre-conference workshop is NOT included in the weekly registration and does need to be purchased separately. Virtual Conference Registration: We will do our best to provide this option 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! ON SITE Registration:* We will accept on site registrations for weekly and daily registrations. A la Carte Items: The icebreaker, poster night/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. General Schedule of Events: Sunday, 27 April- registration, ice breaker (meal provided) Monday, 28 April- keynote speaker, presentations Tuesday, 29 April- Wednesday, 30 April- Thursday, 1 May- Friday, 19 April- presentations, banquet (meal provided) 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 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. 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. Link to reserve is coming soon! 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. We are working on coordinating shuttle services with some discounted rates. Sponsors Our annual conference would not be possible without the support of our sponsors. If you are interested in sponsoring, the Galveston sponsorship packet will be available soon. You can also contact us for more information. Thank you to our conference sponsors! This conference would not happen without you. 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 (times TBD) 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 first VP 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. Sunday, 27 April Registration Icebreaker (food provided) Monday, 28 April Tuesday, 29 April Wednesday, 30 April Thursday, 1 May Friday, 2 May Banquet (dinner provided) 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!

Conference Pricing:

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