The Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa will be the site of the 2013 ADA Convention.
BONITA SPRINGS, FL—From the opening night reception in the exhibit hall on Thursday, November 7, through a quartet of Sunday morning workshops, the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA) 2013 Convention is designed to offer members and other attendees four days of “Great Transformations [to] Take Your Practice from Ordinary to Extraordinary.”
Held at the 26-acre Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa in Bonita Springs, ADA’s 36th annual convention will feature some 40 educational sessions on a wide range of topics crucial to the successful practice of audiology.
Among the meeting’s highlights will be the Friday morning State of the Academy address by Nancy Green, AuD, president of ADA. She will report on academy initiatives and activities to help members address crucial issues facing audiology.
Immediately afterwards, Curtis Alcock will give the keynote address entitled, “How to Create a New Social Norm for Hearing.” Alcock is founder of Audira, a think tank for hearing, as well as a partner at BR&H Hearing Care, an independent family-owned practice in Exeter, UK.
Curtis Alcock
He contends that society’s attitudes toward hearing “are currently working against people’s best interests.” In his presentation, he will examine why society has these attitudes, the tools audiologists can use to shape those attitudes, and “what society’s attitudes must look like if we want to experience an increase in hearing aid adoption.”
After the keynote address, Alcock will present one of two Transformational Sessions, entitled “Create Exposure. Build Encounters. Ease Engagement.” Amyn Amlani, PhD, will give the other Transformational Session Thursday afternoon on “Missed Opportunities in the Adoption of Hearing Aids.”
STUDENTS IN THE SPOTLIGHT
At a convention focused on professional transformation, it is only fitting that future audiologists should play a featured role. One special event this year will be the finale of the ADA Student Business Plan Competition. The competition was created to give audiology students an opportunity to gain hands-on business experience, while showcasing their knowledge and creativity.
At the convention, the five individuals and teams that survived the earlier rounds will compete for the $5000 grand prize for the best business plan. They will present their final business plans to a live audience and a panel of judges on Saturday morning.
The finalists are Liz Tusler and Rachel Magann Faivre, representing Northern Illinois University; Lana Joseph, Washington University St. Louis Medical School; Stacy O’Brien, University of South Florida; Rachel Crout and Lindsay Bush, Auburn University; and Dana Matthyssen, from Missouri State University. On Thursday, ADA will hold several student-only workshops on Thursday.
AN EDUCATIONAL FEAST
All attendees will have a wide range of learning opportunities to choose among. Among the topics that expert presenters will tackle are: Current trends in amplification, over-the-counter tinnitus relief products, marketing, planning an practice exit strategy, cerumen management, hearing aid modification, “cognition friendly” amplification, competing against the big box stores, changes in HIPAA, audiology assistants, common fitting oversights, the changing hearing healthcare landscape, running a successful vestibular practice, healthcare ethics for audiologists, buying or selling a private, and making a practice more profitable.
ON THE LIGHTER SIDE
There will be number of social programs, including, on Friday evening, a New Member/First Time Attendee Meet & Greet followed by the “Great Transformations It’s Friday (GTIF) Tapas Tablehop.” On Saturday evening, all those who have contributed to advancing Audiology’s 18×18 Movement will be invited to attend the 18×18 Advocacy Reception.
The Thursday evening Opening Reception in the exhibit hall will give audiologists their first look at the newest products and services being displayed by more than 50 exhibitors. The exhibit hall will also be open for another 12 hours on Friday and Saturday. For more on the ADA Convention, visit www.audiologist.org.
