Hearing Loss Magazine January/February 2013 - 23

earing loss—it’s the issue that brings us all together for HLAA’s 28th annual Convention. Attendees, exhibitors, sponsors and staff will arrive at Convention 2013 in Portland, Oregon, each with different expectations. Whether this is your first or your 28th Convention, there is no doubt that you will feel the buzz, the excitement, the energy, in the air. May all that you expect and anticipate not only be met, but exceeded.

Research (VA Medical Center, Portland, Oregon) will conduct presentations on the effects of diabetes on auditory function, approaches to tinnitus management (transcranial magnetic stimulation and progressive tinnitus management), and approaches to auditory rehabilitation (computerized auditory training and group aural rehabilitation).

Exhibit Hall Grand Opening— It all Kicks off Here! Thursday, June 27, noon The ribbon is cut and scores of attendees rush to see the latest technology and services available. There will be plenty of time to visit the Exhibit Hall, including an exhibit-only time on Saturday, noon–3 p.m., when the other sessions take place. Workshops and More— Predicted to Be Out of this World! At this writing, the holidays are just around the corner and workshop proposals are streaming into my inbox. By early January presenters from across the country will be receiving their acceptance letters notifying them of the date and time of their workshop. Subsequently, a workshop schedule will be posted on www.hearingloss.org. I thought Convention 2012 was probably the best line-up of workshops I’ve seen, but I am here to tell you that Convention 2013 is not to be missed. Simply put, the workshops will be out of this world. Workshops will begin Thursday afternoon and run until the Opening Session featuring keynote speaker Howard Weinstein, inventor of solarpowered hearing aids. HLAA Executive Director Brenda Battat will address the membership one last time as she is retiring July 2013. Brenda will provide an update on HLAA activities and projects. Research Symposium— Icing on the Cake! Research audiologists from the National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory

It’s Not All Work In addition to developing a world-class educational program, we are hard at work planning some fun events too— the Get Acquainted Party, the off-site visit to the World Forestry Center (optional/ticketed), and Farewell, the Saturday evening banquet (ticketed event, but included in Full Activity registration package). You’ll want to do it all, believe me. Early-Bird Registration Deadline —January 31 Early-bird registration discounts are available through January 31 only; regular registration rates will apply thereafter until the final registration deadline of May 31. There are two ways to register:
Online—A Breeze Go to the Convention page at www. hearingloss.org/content/convention and click the link Convention Registration. Once you complete the registration, you will receive a confirmation letter by e-mail. Members of HLAA receive the best deals so if you are not currently a member, remember to join or renew your membership first. Offline Use the early-bird registration form that appeared in the November/December 2012 issue of Hearing Loss Magazine; or a PDF of the form available on the Convention page (see URL above).

read the guidelines, and complete the application; submit the application no later than February 15, 2013. The recipient of the Rocky and Ahme Stone Scholarship will be notified on or about March 4. Applicants/nominees who are not selected to receive the Rocky and Ahme Stone Scholarship will be considered for other scholarships made possible through corporate funding or donations from HLAA Chapters and State Associations. In fact, the Montgomery County, Maryland, Chapter plans to once again donate $500 from funds raised in the Washington, DC Walk4Hearing to the national office to use for a scholarship. They will issue the chapter challenge for the fifth year, challenging other HLAA Chapters to donate a scholarship too. Chapter leaders, stay tuned for more details.

Exhibiting and Marketing Opportunities Select sponsorship, marketing and exhibit opportunities that will showcase your products and services are still available—see the Sponsorship & Exhibiting Opportunities prospectus on the Convention page. There you will also find a current list of sponsors; a list of exhibitors will be posted in February. Be in the Know Subscribers of our complimentary e-News receive biweekly Convention updates as well as special Convention news releases. Sign up for the e-News today at hearingloss.org. In addition, frequent updates will be posted to the HLAA Facebook page, LinkedIn group, and to Twitter (@HLAA, #HLAA2013).
Nancy Macklin is director of events and marketing at HLAA. She can be reached at nmacklin@ hearingloss.org.

Scholarships We are pleased to offer scholarships to HLAA members who have never attended a Convention. The process is easy—just go to the Scholarship page on hearingloss.org/content/convention,

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Hearing Loss Magazine January/February 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Hearing Loss Magazine January/February 2013