Conference Planning Guide
NASHC Conference How To – Download
Conferences are vital to the professional health of the NASHC community, covering topics such as key industry trends, changing business models, professional education relevant to the fields of speech and hearing, governance, management, fundraising and many other topics as requested by members. Conferences also include round table discussions on pertinent topics that allow members to share their knowledge, \share their challenges, and consider how we can leverage the power of our collective group to impact our industry.
As you will see throughout this document, communication with the Executive Committee, prior NASHC hosts, future NASHC hosts, and the ASHA CEU sponsoring organization is fundamental to the success of your conference. Thank you, in advance, for your collaboration, patience, and flexibility.
General scheduling information
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Thurs/Fri conference schedule, with “opening ceremonies” on Wednesday evening during a dinner (optional for attendees).
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Major religious and government holidays and common school break periods \will be avoided as much as possible (potential dates will be vetted at a prior conference to get the input of regular attendees).
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The host city ideally will have a large airport that offers easy flight options from major cities on both coasts.
Agenda
- See enclosed samples.
- Potential topics will be requested and discussed at the preceding conference.
- Ideally sponsors and presenters will be diverse and present minimal overlap in subject matter expertise and industry (e.g., not having three hearing aid manufacturers at one meeting).
- There will be at least an hour dedicated to a formal NASHC business meeting ateach meeting, including discussing the upcoming conference plans
- There will be at least an hour dedicated to round table discussions at each meeting. These can be facilitated by a member or external party.
- The meeting agenda should be shared approximately 4-6 weeks prior to the meeting.
Note: While a following section discusses CEUs, it is recommended that the agenda be designed based on the needs of the group, with CEUs being a secondary consideration.
Budget
- $2,000 is a standard budget available to cover conference expenses (generally including a meeting room, two breakfasts and one lunch for participants).
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Requests for additional funding are due in writing (with rationale) to the Executive Committee no later than six months prior to the meeting. The Executive Committee is authorized to approve up to an additional $1,000 as appropriate.
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Hosts are expected and encouraged to find sponsors for conferences to offset meal or special event costs for participants, potentially aided by other NASHC members.
CEUs for ASHA members
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CEUs are an additional $350 per conference and will be covered by the CEU-level conference fees. This $350 is paid by the NASHC Treasurer to the CEU-sponsoring organization and is not a part of the $2,000 conference budget.
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The CEU host agency will be in touch with the host organization approximately three months prior to the conference to outline the roles, responsibilities, and paperwork associated with providing CEUs.
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CEUs are a valuable part of the NASHC process, but the agenda for the meeting also needs to include time for strategy/round table discussions that are often not eligible for CEU credit.
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With consensus from the membership, hosts during a rolling year may opt to have one conference offer all of the CEUs with the other conference focusing on strategic topics unlikely to fall into an ASHA-approved category. Should this option be exercised, it is recommended that the organization hosting the conference that includes CEUs have an ED/CEO/President who is an ASHA member.
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At the time of writing, NASHC would like to offer participants 1.2-2.0 CEUs annually. The goal is to provide a minimum of .6 CEUs per meeting (with a max of 1.0) to ensure that it is worth paying the fees and going through the ASHA process.
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CEUs are only provided if members are present for all CEU sessions.
Lodging
- Nightly hotel cost (paid for by the participant) will ideally be $200 or less, knowing certain locations will be higher as will certain times of year. When the host city is challenged by finding a room block within the already agreed upon budget, they are encouraged to poll the membership to make a decision.
- The room block link/information should be shared approximately three months prior to the meeting and should include Wednesday through Saturday nights, if possible.
Information to share with attendees
- Participants are strongly encouraged to stay for the entire duration of the meeting, as outlined on the agenda. All are encouraged to stay over Friday night to allow for additional informal conversations and peer learning.
- Members are encouraged to make their reservation at least eight weeks prior to the meeting to allow the host ample time to adjust plans based on attendance.
- Conference registration is available at: https://www.nashc.net/conference-fees-payment/
- A paper version of the conference registration form is available at: https://www.nashc.net/about-our-conferences/
What to expect during the CEU application process
- Two months prior- CEU sponsor to reach out to host group CEU sponsor will provide host organization with all required forms, templates, and paperwork
- Host will provide CEU sponsor with a list of presenters-with brief bios
- CEU sponsor will help develop Learning Outcomes for the Sessions (based on the topics/content for each session to be considered for CEUs)
- CEU sponsor will submit blank Financial Disclosures forms to the host agency, to be completed for each of the Presenters
- CEU sponsor will facilitate generating the background and narratives required for each session based on past submissions for other NASHC conferences.
- If the above steps are completed in a timely manner, the CEU sponsor will apply for ASHA 45 days in advance of meeting as ASHA requires that all sessions are approved 30 days in advance.