ABMA Annual Conference

The ABMA invites you to join us in Nashville, TN in 2024! The conference theme is The Science of Behavior: Crossing Boundaries of Language, Culture, and Species.

Dates: 14-19 April 2024
Location: Gaylord Opryland Hotel is the conference hotel.
Rate: $269/night + tax + resort fee

We are pleased to announce our Keynote Speaker is Dr. Lance Miller!

Make plans to attend the pre-conference workshop- PORTL by Mary Hunter from the University of North Texas!

REGISTER HERE
*to receive the member rate you must login

Pre-Conference Workshop- PORTL presented by Mary Hunter, University of North Texas
In-person PORTL workshops allow you to practice your teaching skills with another human as the learner. Workshops consist of lectures, PORTL exercises, and discussion. You’ll learn about behavior principles and techniques that will help you create optimal learning situations when working with both people and animals.  PORTL is a tabletop game that provides an interactive environment for learning about behavior principles and investigating behavioral phenomena. It is played using a collection of small objects, a clicker to select behavior, and small blocks as reinforcers.  PORTL had its beginnings in another game, called GENABACAB, which was developed by English dog trainer Kay Laurence. About a decade ago, Laurence taught this game to Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz and his graduate students. The students started playing the game with each other and were hooked. They also began modifying the game to create an apparatus that could be used for teaching and research.  Students need minimal instructions initially to start playing PORTL. However, as they gain more experience with the game, they can use it to ask and answer complex questions about behavior. This gives them a sense of discovery and gets them excited to learn more about how behavior works.  The PORTL workshop will be Sunday, 14 April for just $100.

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.

· Be aware of your surroundings at all times.

· 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.

· Don’t wear your meeting badge on the street. Take it off as soon as you leave the venue.

· Don’t carry a lot of cash or credit cards.

· 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 2024 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”. The scholarship details for the 2024 annual conference are below.

The Scholarship will provide:

Conference registration for the winner to present.

Application Requirements:

Applicant may not have received this scholarship in the previous year.
Applicant must submit the online abstract submission form, checking the BMF scholarship box within the form, and complete the additional scholarship questions after checking the BMF scholarship 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.

The abstract submission deadlines for the annual conference are:
10 December- Abstracts due
15 January- Winner notified
22 January- Winner accept/deny

Application Process:

There are 3 required components of the BMF scholarship application:

Complete the online submission form. Don’t forget to check the box for BMF Scholarship.
Complete the questions within the online abstract submission form after you check the box for the BMF virtual scholarship.
The Scholarship winners 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 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 deadline for the 2024 annual conference in Nashville is 10 December 2023. 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 2023 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 2023 Abstract Submissions are:
15 September- open for abstract submission- submit here

10 December- abstracts due by midnight EST

15 January- notifications to presenters

30 January- presenters accept/decline

7 April- papers due for proceedings

Conference Registration

AAZK and IMATA members can receive the ABMA member rate! Please submit this registration form (coming soon) to take advantage of our affiliative offer.

Conference Pricing:

Registration is now OPEN! You must login to receive the member rate. If you are requesting reciprocity member rate from AAZK or IMATA please contact us so we can verify your membership and send you a registration form.

Pre-conference workshop (PORTL)- $100

EARLY Registration: Register between 1 November 2023 - 15 February 2024 to receive the early discounted rate. Rates increase on 16 February 2024.
Early Weekly Registration - members $425; non-members $499.
Early Daily Registration- members $99; non-members $199

REGULAR Registration: Register between 16 February - 7 April to receive the non-discounted rate. No registrations 1 week before the conference; however, there will be on-site registration.
Regular Weekly Registration- members $475; non-members $549
Regular Daily Registration- members $149; non-members $249

ON SITE Registration: We will accept on site registrations for weekly and daily registrations.
Weekly Registration- member $549; non-member $599
Daily Registration- $199

A la Carte Items: Pre-conference Workshop- $100; Icebreaker- $95; Poster Night/Silent Auction- $95; Banquet $169

General Schedule of Events:
Sunday, 14 April- pre-conference workshop, registration, ice breaker (meal provided)
Monday, 15 April- keynote speaker- Dr. Lance Miller, presentations, featured speaker Mary Hunter, dinner on your own, professional development
Tuesday, 16 April- presentations, panel discussion with Dr. Jesus Rosales-Ruiz and Dr. Lance Miller, featured speaker Dr. Jesus Rosales-Ruiz, member business meeting, program council
Wednesday, 17 April- Zoo Day! Lunch will be provided. Explore Nashville tonight on your own.
Thursday, 18 April- presentations, featured speakers Gerry Creighton and Train With Trust, poster night, silent auction (meal provided)
Friday, 19 April- presentations, Conservation Partner presentation- Red Panda Network, featured speakers Gerry Creighton and Retrieving Independence, banquet (meal provided)
**See program for 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 Nashville!

Hotel

The Gaylord Opryland Hotel is the conference hotel. This is a resort and there will be a resort fee on your hotel bill.

Rate: $269/night + nightly sales tax & resort fee

Parking at the hotel is $33/night + tax

Book your hotel here. The ABMA discounted rate ends on 20 March.

Transportation

The local airport is the Nashville Airport (BNA), which is only 10 miles from the Gaylord Opryland Hotel.
There is an airport shuttle; however, it only runs at certain time and costs $30 one way.
Uber and Lyft will both service BNA.

Learn more about the featured speakers for the 2024 ABMA conference.

Mary Hunter earned an undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Chicago in 2008 and a master’s degree in behavior analysis from the University of North Texas in 2013. She runs her own animal training and consulting business and serves as president of The Art and Science of Animal Training, a Texas-based nonprofit that provides educational programs for professional animal trainers. Mary teaches classes at the University of North Texas as an adjunct instructor. In 2017, she converted an upper-level undergraduate class into a self-paced, mastery-based course using Dr. Fred Keller’s Personalized System of Instruction. Mary’s main research interests include studying the process of shaping and developing better methods for teaching both people and animals.

Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz is an Associate Professor in the Department of Behavior Analysis at the University of North Texas. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Kansas in 1995 under the direction of Dr. Donald M. Baer. During his graduate training, he also worked closely with Dr. Ogden R. Lindsley. Dr. Rosales-Ruiz’s areas of interest include antecedent control of behavior, generalization, behavioral cusps, fluency-based teaching, treatment of autism, teaching of academic behavior, animal training, rule-governed behavior, and contingency-shaped behavior. He has served on several editorial boards, including the Journal of Precision Teaching, the European Journal of Behavior Analysis, and the International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy. Dr. Rosales-Ruiz is a fellow of the Eastern Psychological Association and a trustee of the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies.

Gerry Creighton, CEO Global Elephant Care. Gerry started working in the Dublin Zoo, Ireland in 1983 as a trainee keeper, before becoming a full time zookeeper in 1986. He subsequently worked as Team Leader responsible for large apes, carnivores and elephants for nearly ten years before becoming Zoo Operations Manager for animals and grounds in 2009. His career has spanned several decades of exciting development, during which time Dublin Zoo has transformed from its Victorian beginnings in 1831 into a modern, vital and progressive European centre for conservation, education and animal husbandry. Gerry has spent over 25 years working with elephants and has nearly 40 years of accumulated experience in a professional zoo environment. Gerry is considered a leading expert on elephant behaviour, wellness and welfare. He has lectured to Zoology undergraduates in Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin and I am a regular contributor to educational establishments at both second and third level in zoological animal husbandry, care and wellness.

Gerry has given keynote speeches all over the UK, Europe and the US on the topic of elephant wellness in human care and have contributed to and taught in both the Chester Zoo Elephant Resource Management Workshop in the UK and the First European Elephant Management School in Hamburg, Germany. He has received two awards from the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquaria (BIAZA) for presentations on elephant care and wellness at the annual BIAZA conferences. Since launching his own consultancy business in 2020, Gerry has worked with Zoos in the U.S.A., China, Israel and all over Europe and the UK. He has an ongoing working relationship with AZA, EAZA and BIAZA and has an extensive network of professional contacts in the areas of elephant husbandry, breeding, veterinary care and welfare. Gerry is currently involved with several of the highest profile elephant projects in the world.

Red Panda Network

Founded by Brian Williams in 2007, Red Panda Network has become a world leader in efforts to save red pandas and their habitat. We use an integrated, landscape-level approach to conservation that is built on the support and participation of local communities. Our conservation programs extend to over one million acres of forest and 50% of Nepal’s red panda range! www.redpandanetwork.org The Red Panda Network is the conservation partner for the 2024 ABMA Conference!

Retrieving Independence

Retrieving Independence (RI) is a Nashville-based nonprofit that breeds, trains and places service dogs with people who are living with physical, mental or emotional disability. This is all accomplished with the help of volunteer breeders, puppy raisers, and weekend furlough volunteers. Through our partnership with the Tennessee Department of Correction, RI works with inmates to provide a significant portion of the training throughout the almost two-year program. That’s what we do. But WHY do we do it?

We do it for the love poured into the dogs by the volunteers. We do it for the purpose and dignity it gives the inmate trainers. We do it for the life-rocking change it gives to our incredible recipients. Love. Dignity. Change. That’s why we do it. https://riservicedogs.org/

Program

To be green, the ABMA does not hand out printed programs. We will have a Whova app for the 2024 conference.

ABMA Conference Program times are listed in Central (CST). The schedule is subject to change. Details will be posted as they are finalized.

Sunday, 14 April
Pre-Conference Workshop
Registration
Icebreaker

Monday, 15 April
Presentations

Tuesday, 16 April
Presentations

Wednesday, 17 April
Zoo Day at the Nashville Zoo

Thursday, 18 April
Presentations

Friday, 19 April
Presentations
Banquet

We look forward to seeing you at the 2024 conference in Nashville!

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 Nashville!