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2021 Conference Announcement

3 Mar 2021 7:09 AM | Anonymous


2021 Conference Announcement 

Let's Get Virtual!

After the postponement of our 2020 annual conference in Sydney due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ABA Australia had high hopes that we would hold our 2021 conference in Sydney as scheduled. About six months ago, the board of directors began discussing the reality of holding an in-person conference in 2021. To better understand our members' thoughts and preferences, we sent out a survey about the 2021 conference.

Members’ Survey

Out of the 84 respondents, most stated they had planned on attending the conference 2020. When asked how likely they would attend an in-person conference: 29.7% said unlikely, 27.4% were unsure, and 45.2% said likely to attend. When asked if the conference should be postponed again: 46.7% were unsure, 20.2% said yes, and 31.2% said no. When asked if the conference needed to be delayed again, what was the virtual format preference? There was a similar preference for either a virtual conference or webinar series. With this information and seeing what has unfolded with citywide and statewide lockdowns, it has become clear that holding a face-to-face conference in Sydney this July might not be possible. The COVID-19 virus is highly unpredictable and can get through some of the world’s strictest quarantine systems, meaning that we could potentially have to cancel the conference last minute due to government restrictions. As always, our top priority is making the annual conference a safe, productive, and enjoyable experience for everyone who attends. In these uncertain times, we have decided the best way to do that is to turn the annual conference into a virtual conference while keeping it in July. We have adjusted the dates a bit, as explained in more detail below.

Conference Program

We will have several prerecorded and some live presentations (available later on-demand) available across July 2021. We understand that the time spent online has increased over the past year and that ‘Zoom fatigue’ is real. We wanted you to be at your best when listening to our conference program, so we thought it best to let you choose when to watch the presentations.

But what about networking and real connections?

Networking is an essential part of a conference, one of the main reasons we love holding the conference. We are looking to host several small in-person networking events in each state and territory (yes, even you NT!). We will release more information about these events in the coming months. We wanted to provide a way for our members to connect with other local members or ABA nerds without crossing any borders. We are looking to hold these events in September - October 2021. As the requirements for live events change quickly, all we can say is that there will be presentations, roundtable discussions, and a poster session at each event.

What if you want to present?

We are securing several invited speakers worldwide (one of the benefits of a virtual conference). However, we still love to show off our local talent. Submission for presentations can be made on our website.

How much will this cost?

Virtual registration rates will be lower than for one of our in-person conferences. Check out our website for prices as they are based on your membership status. Ticket prices include access to all the recorded events and all BACB CEUs (Whoo Hoo!). There is an early bird discount if you purchase by 31/5. Tickets will go on sale 15/3/2021. We are also offering free tickets to people who live in low-income countries. One of our objectives is to disseminate this amazing science we love so much. As we are going virtual, this allows us to push our dissemination objectives beyond Australia's borders. More information about this is available on our website. Please spread the word about this opportunity!

Sponsors

We have sponsorship options available for our conference. Check out our website for options. Or contact us to discuss a customised sponsorship package.

What if I bought a ticket last year and kept it?

We'll be sending you an email shortly explaining your ticket options. More info here!



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The Association for Behaviour Analysis Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

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