Inside Behavior Analysis
Volume 2 | 2010 | Number 2
Everything's Bigger in Texas, Including ABAI's 2010 Annual Convention
By Maria E. Malott
After all these many years of planning the ABAI Annual Convention, you would think we would no longer be surprised at the actual sight of so many members gathering in one place, eager to share their research and professional experience. We need only to look back on past conventions to realize how supportive our members have been and anticipate your tremendous response once again. Those most closely involved in the programming and logistical arrangements for the event have just concluded a full year of preparation—reviewing submissions; scheduling presentations; and examining data to assign rooms to tracks, plan poster space, organize audiovisual equipment, and on and on. But believe it or not, all of us involved in the critical planning arrive on site in late May and are awed by the size and the complexity of this amazing event, this 21st century manifestation of our 36th Annual Convention.
This year's convention in San Antonio was a record breaker! We had our highest attendance ever, with 4,675 of you gathered from 33 countries and 50 United States. We were all enriched by so many opportunities to share diverse experiences and perspectives. ABAI membership in 2010, at 5,793, surpassed all previous years, another record. As well, exhibitors increased 50% from 2009—74 behavioral organizations occupied 78 booths. The annual convention is alive and well.
We were delighted with the amount of feedback we received. We know you care about the convention. We received close to 1,200 completed surveys from attendees this year; that's 25% of you who took the time to let us know what you thought about your experience in San Antonio. We also sent surveys to exhibitors, publishers, employers and job seekers, and all of the staff we hire to provide support on site. Thanks to all who provided input and suggestions for improvement. We read all of your responses and, I assure you, we took them seriously.
We received particularly high scores on the quality of invited presentations, tutorials, and B. F. Skinner lectures; over 92% of respondents identified these events as excellent or very good. Attendees also liked the location of the convention in beautiful San Antonio and the layout of the main exhibit hall that housed the bookstore, registration, exhibits, posters, and cybercafé. Many other events also received very positive feedback, including the Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis (SABA) Award Ceremony; Pat Friman's unforgettable Presidential Address; and the Presidential Scholar, Michael Shermer, Founding Publisher of Skeptic magazine, who drew over 2,100 people to the ballroom with an amusing and thought provoking address. ABAI's newly established Affiliated Chapter and Special Interest Group (SIG) Leadership Training sessions again drew lively attendance. Over 90% of survey respondents who took advantage of these events reported that the topics discussed were relevant to the needs and issues of their organizations. Thanks are due to the chapter and SIG leaders who volunteered their time and presented to their peers.
Of course members always seem to enjoy the social events, including the SABA donor reception, dueling pianos, and ABAI Social. This year for the first time we made a specific effort to schedule all of the reunions in close proximity, so attendees could hop from one place to another and catch up with old friends. The International Welcome Reception had the highest attendance to date, with over 600 people attending. Two recipients of the SABA International Development Grant were present to receive their awards: Smita Awasthi was recognized for establishing India's first university-based course in applied behavior analysis at Sri Ramchandra University and Monika Suchiweirska for the publication in Poland of the book, Behavior Analysis From A to Z. Venita Dimitrova was also awarded a grant for the development of two behavioral library and resource centers at major universities in Bulgaria.
The success of the ABAI convention depends on the efforts and dedication of so many individuals. The Program Committee did extraordinary work scheduling sessions and encouraging submissions for the many invited events and tutorials. Much gratitude is owed to Program Board Coordinator Patrick C. Friman, Program Committee Senior Co-chair Ramona Houmanfar, and Co-chair Raymond C. Pitts. Also, thanks are due to the area coordinators, without whom the review and scheduling of events would not be possible: Kennon A. Lattal and Jennifer Sobie (applied animal behavior); Dorothea C. Lerman and Jeffrey H. Tiger (autism); Karen Anderson and Jesse Dallery (behavioral pharmacology); Jonathan Kanter and Thomas J. Waltz (clinical, family, behavioral medicine); Patricia Bach and Michael Weinberg (community interventions, social, and ethical issues); Jennifer M. Asmus and Joel E. Ringdahl (developmental disabilities); Gary Novak and Hayne W. Reese (human development); Robert W. Allan and James S. MacDonall (experimental analysis of behavior); Jennifer L. Austin and Cathy Watkins (education); Alicia Alvero and Heather McGee (organizational behavior management); Denise Ross and Jessica Singer-Dudek (teaching behavior analysis); Per Holth and Ted Schoneberger (theoretical, philosophical, and conceptual issues); and Caio Miguel and Matthew Normand (verbal behavior). We also appreciate the work of Richard W. Malott, for his efforts in BACB continuing education (CE) coordination.
Members of Texas ABA welcomed us with warmth, enthusiasm, and a great deal of practical and logistical support. We thank them for everything, and most especially for sponsoring the mariachi band and dancing the evening of the Expo. Gordon Bourland, Texas ABA President, and chapter members Heather Barahona, Leslie Burkett, Lupe Castenada, Billy Edwards, Jessi Harkins, Duy Le, Anna Petursdottir, and Lori Russo, spent long hours at their exhibit booth , welcoming attendees to their great state and to the lovely city of San Antonio.
My sincere appreciation also goes to ABAI staff members. Once again, the services provided by our team were some of the highest-rated aspects of the convention. This year, 95% of the responses from our members indicated the staff provided excellent or very good services. ABAI staff providing convention support included Aaron Barsy, Elisabeth Berthiaume, Martin Burch, Michael Cooper, Zachary Florian, Brandon Forth, Jean Herbrandson, Nikole Kennedy, Jack Lingbeek, Tina Newman, Joseph Romeo, Majda Seuss, Lori Smoker Young, Eddie Soh, Betty Soltesz, and Ashley Walsh. In addition, we are thankful to our 12 student interns, who gained practical experience from their work at our convention. These students came from programs at Central Michigan University, Grand Valley State University, and Western Michigan University.
Attendee feedback and survey responses also helped us to identify areas where we can improve your convention experience. As mentioned in the president's column, many of you would like to see more attention paid to the quality of data-driven presentations. Beginning in 2011, proposals for data-based presentations and posters will be required to include a graphic or tabular summary of the supporting data. Although the graph need not contain your complete data set, it must establish that the project is well underway. Data-based proposals submitted without a supporting graph or table will not be accepted. Of course, there is plenty of room for theoretical and other non-data based presentations at the convention.
Another change you requested had to do with the hours of ABAI services. Beginning next year, the registration and CE desks as well as the bookstore will open at 7 or 8 am and will remain open until sessions conclude in the early evening. The bookstore will also stay open during the ABAI Expo.
Attendees have let us know that, as the convention grows, our meeting space has become too spread out, and using both the convention center and the headquarters hotel for meetings has not worked well for you. Next year we will work to consolidate space, schedule invited events in smaller, more audience-appropriate rooms (another request), and keep presentations of similar topics closer to one another. Planning is already underway for the 37th Annual Convention in Denver, Colorado, to be held May 27–30, 2011. The event will take place in the Colorado Convention Center; we think registrants will enjoy the location. Details will be included in the 2011 Annual Convention Call for Papers, which will be offered entirely online this year. The deadline for submissions for the 2011 convention is October 13, 2010. Also, planning is underway for the 2012 Annual Convention in Seattle, Washington. The convention will be held from May 25–29, at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center; the Sheraton Seattle Hotel will serve as the headquarter hotel.
Next year from January 28–30, the 2011 Autism Conference will take place in Washington D.C. at the Grand Hyatt, followed by Behavioral Research and Translation: Behavioral Economics from March 25–27 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Finally, we will end our year in the fall with our international conference in Spain—details soon to be announced. Please watch the website for details about these upcoming events and continue to check your e-mail for event announcements and other ABAI news. We look forward to your attendance and participation!