General Information

AudiologyNOW! 2012 from A to Z

AudiologyNOW! 2012 will be held March 28-31, 2011 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, in Boston, MA.
Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC)
415 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02210

AAAF Auction 4 Audiology

Of course, you’ll walk away from AudiologyNOW! with more knowledge and an unforgettable experience…why not add a great auction prize, too? Bid in the AAA Foundation’s online Auction 4 Audiology and take home items such as rare music memorabilia, electronics, audiology tools, artwork, gourmet food, and much more! Proceeds benefit the Foundation.

Preview your favorite items today before bidding opens on March 19. Keep checking back! More items will be added as AudiologyNOW! approaches.

Academy Central
Take a walk through Academy Central and discover the many benefits of membership. Find the latest marketing materials for your practice, visit the Advocacy booth to learn more about current initiatives, discover more about ABA certification or pick up a unique audiology item at the Academy Store. Academy staff will be on site to answer all of your questions. This area will help you make the most of your membership!

Academy Research Conference (ARC)
Noise-Induced Hearing Loss March 28, 2012. Click here for more information.

Assistive Listening Devices (ALDS)
Provided by: Williams Sound, LLC
Assistive listening devices (ALD) are available for all educational sessions (excluding posters) held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Receivers are available upon request at the ALD desk in the registration area. For the best reception, ALD users are encouraged to sit toward the front of the room. Open captioning will also be provided at the General Assembly.

Learn how to use ALDS on-site at AudiologyNOW! 2012 by viewing our Accessibility Guide (PowerPoint).

Badges
Badges must be worn at all times to gain entrance to sessions, events and Audiology Solutions. Swapping badges is prohibited and may result in expulsion from AudiologyNOW! without a refund. Appropriate identification may be requested.

Business Center

The FedEx Office and Ship Center in the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center offers you virtually everything you need to meet your convention needs. From packing and shipping to signage, copying, and last-minute office supplies: Level 1, North Lobby.

FedEx Office:

415 Summer Street

Boston, MA, 02210

Phone: 617.954.2203

Fax: 617.954.2204

Web: http://www.fedex.com/us.officeprint/conventions

Celebrate Audiology

During Celebrate Audiology, experience famous districts of Boston and sample their signature foods all in one location! Enjoy clam chowda from the Waterfront then head to "where everybody knows your name,” at the Cheers bar. Continue on to experience the neighborhoods from Chinatown to North End Little Italy. Don’t forget to visit the green monster from Fenway Park. Join us to Celebrate Audiology and the best that Boston has to offer!

Cell Phones & Pagers
Please be considerate of your fellow attendees and turn off or silence cell phones and electrical devices during all educational sessions and special events.

Certificate of Attendance
A certificate of attendance is located on the last page of ProgramNOW! (on-site Final Program)

CEUs & CEU Manager
Use CEU Manager to record your CEUs and, for CE Registry members, to print a transcript. During each educational session, the presenter will announce a pass code. The pass code is unique to the session and will be presented at the middle/end of each session. Record the pass code on the CEU Worksheet, found in your AudiologyNOW! bag.

CEU Manager Hours of Operation

Wednesday, March 28	Noon-5:00pm
Thursday, March 29	7:30am-6:00pm
Friday, March 30	7:30am-6:00pm
Saturday, March 31	7:30am-5:00pm

Children
Children older than 6 months and younger than 16 are not permitted in Audiology Solutions or at any AudiologyNOW! educational session. Children 16 and older are permitted in Audiology Solutions but must pick-up a badge at Registration (no-charge) before entering the hall. Children younger than 6 months are permitted in Audiology Solutions as long as they are hand carried. Strollers will not be permitted. Children under the age of 16 will not be allowed in the exhibit hall under any circumstances during exhibitor setup and teardown.

City Guide – Boston Information & Restaurant Reservations
Check out the AudiologyNOW! Boston City Guide to plan your visit. Onsite visit the Boston concierge desk for maps, guidebooks, shopping/dining guides and other city information. Boston convention and Visitors Bureau representatives will be able to assist attendees with city information, as well as restaurant and entertainment suggestions and make restaurant reservations.

Wednesday, March 28	8:30am – 5:30pm
Thursday, March 29	8:30am – 6:30pm
Friday, March 30	8:30am – 7:00pm
Saturday, March 31	8:30am – 4:30pm

Course Content
The American Academy of Audiology is not responsible for the comments expressed by any course presenter, nor does it accept responsibility for the content or the reprinting of any materials handed out during presentations.

Dangerous Decibels® Educator Training Workshop

Learn a fun, interactive way to teach noise-induced hearing loss prevention to “kids” of all ages. Dangerous decibels is a public health campaign internationally recognized for excellence in hearing loss prevention interventions.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Click here for more information (PDF). 1.3 CEUs offered

Disclosures
All presenters have been asked to disclose their affiliations or financial interests in any organization or commercial product that may relate to their presentation. The Academy has listed all disclosures that have been provided by the presenters, with the presenter’s name, following the abstract.

Dress
Business casual attire is suggested. Meeting room temperatures can be on the cooler side; bring a light jacket or sweater if needed.

Emergencies
The safety and security of attendees and staff is the first priority of the Academy and the Boston Convention and Exposition Center. In the event of an emergency inside the convention center, use a house phone to dial security and be prepared to provide the nature and the exact location of the emergency.

Expocard
Use your Expocard to access CEU Manager, Internet Access Central services and to receive information from exhibiting companies on the show floor.

Facebook
Stay on top of the latest updates, events, and announcements about AudiologyNOW! through Facebook!

First Aid
Boston Convention and Exposition Center provides wheelchair-accessible first aid stations. They are operated and staffed by licensed medical professionals. Stations are fully-equipped and include automated external defibrillators (AEDs) to respond to life-threatening occurrences.

Future AudiologyNOW! Dates

April 3-6, 2013	Anaheim, CA
March 26-29, 2014	Orlando, FL
March 25-28, 2015	San Antonio, TX

Global Perspective in Central Auditory Processing Disorder
March 30-31, 2012. Click here for more information.

Handouts
This year handouts for all the sessions at AudiologyNOW! will be available electronically. You will not be receiving printed versions of these handouts (exception: Learning Labs, Academy Research Conference, Global Perspectives on CAPD Conference participants). However, there will be many ways for you to access the handouts.

An e-mail will be sent to those of you registered (prior March 16^th), with a link that will allow you to access handouts on your mobile devices (smart phones, tablets, laptops) and/or print the handouts (those that are available) before you arrive in Boston.
Using the free wifi service on site at the Boston Convention Center (BCEC) you will also be able to access handouts on your mobile devices on site (smart phones, tablets, laptops).
There will be Print Stations on site at AudiologyNOW! where you can print the handouts (those that are available). It is not recommended that you try and print all of the handouts while at conference as there will be a limited number of stations and the lines could be long.
Handouts (free) along with synced audio sessions (additional fee) will also be available to you online after you arrive home

Headquarter Hotels
The Westin Boston Waterfront, 425 Summer St, Boston, MA 02210

HEARCareers Employment Center
The HEARCareers Employment Center is an extension of the Academy’s year round employment service Web site.

Hotel Desk
Experient, the hotel reservation vendor, is available to answer questions regarding your hotel reservations while in Boston. Located in the Registration area.

Wednesday, March 28	8:00am-7:00pm
Thursday, March 29	7:00am-5:00pm
Friday, March 30	7:30am-5:00pm

Hotel Information
The Academy has secured a large block of rooms at hotels in convenient locations and at competitive prices. Browse these pages for complete hotel rates and descriptions.

Infant Nursing Station
The First Aid Office on Level 1, North Lobby is setup to provide a private area for infant nursing with electrical outlets and a private bathroom.

Internet Access Central
CEU Manager, internet access, Message Center, Session Locator and online session planner are in one central location to keep you connected.

Looping
A limited number of session rooms will be looped. Look for signs outside of session rooms and indicators in the final program of sessions that offer looping capability.

Lost and Found
Lost and Found will be located at the main registration counters. Any items remaining with Lost and Found at the close of the event will be turned over to the Convention Center Security personnel. The Academy is not responsible for any lost or stolen items.

Lunches

Included in full convention registration fees, all attendees will receive lunch coupons valued at $10 per day. These coupons can be used towards purchases at food service stations on the show floor, the food court, or specialty food stands throughout the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC). The food court and service stations will also be open for a la carte purchases.

Mail & Packages
For security reasons, all mail or small packages should be sent to your hotel or to the FedEx Office location in the North Lobby. (See Business Center above)

Message Center
Looking for an attendee? Want to leave a message for a friend? Stop by the message center in Internet Access Central center to connect.

On-site Registration
Registration services are available during the following hours:

Wednesday, March 28	7:00am-7:00pm
Thursday, March 29	7:00am-6:00pm
Friday, March 30	7:30am-4:00pm
Saturday, March 31	7:30am-2:00pm

Parking at the Boston Convention and Exposition Center
Convenient on-site parking is available in the South Lot located in the rear of the BCEC. The days and hours are designed around each specific event. For more parking information click here.

For information on disability services click here.

Photos

Attendee: Attendees authorize the Academy to use any photographs taken during the course of AudiologyNOW!, which may include attendees, in Academy print and online promotional materials or publications.
Exhibit Hall: Only exhibitors are allowed to photograph exhibits one hour prior to show opening on Thursday. If an exhibitor is using a novelty "activity" or other interactive attraction, attendee photographing is permitted within the confines of that particular exhibit space and by the express written permission of the exhibiting company.

Presenters Ready Room
Make a point to stop by the Presenter’s Ready Room located in the Boston Convention and Exposition Center . This will be a place where you can practice your presentation, pick up presenter ribbons, upload your presentation to the Presentation Management System or just relax before your presentation

Press/Media
Academy staff will be available to provide information about AudiologyNOW! and arrange interviews with Academy leaders. Contact Amy Miedema

Program Books

The "ProgramNOW" book will be distributed on site to all registered attendees in their convention bags. Also the online session planner contains all of the session and event information you need and you can search for what you are looking for by keyword, day, time or presenter. New for 2012: the ProgramNOW book will also be available for download to the following e-reader devices:

BlackBerry
iPhone
iPad
Kindle
Nook
Android

Recordings

Take your favorite sessions home or listen to sessions you missed! Unless otherwise noted, Featured Sessions, Learning Modules, Exhibitor Courses and Research Pods are recorded and offered for purchase at the on-site sales desk or you can pre-order online with your registration. Order your Session Proceedings early and save money! There are two packages available.

Standard Audio Package includes: Audio files of all conference sessions provided as mp3 files, PDF files of all session handouts/presentations as available – Price $99.00
Premium Synchronized CEU Package includes: Audio files of all conference sessions provided as mp3 files, PDF files of all session handouts/presentations as available plus synchronized audio/slide presentation sessions for all available sessions provided as (flash movie files and mp4 files). Attendees who purchase the premium package will also be able to earn at least 10 hours (1.0 CEUs), including 3 ABA Tier 1 hours with this package – price $159.00

Session handouts will be available for free online during and after the conference

Reg Express
If you’ve registered by the March 16, 2012 deadline and received your badge packet in the mail, you can save time by stopping by RegExpress locations at the Renaissance, Boston Marriott Copley Place, or the Boston Convention and Exposition Center from 11:00am to 6:00pm and then at the Westin Boston Waterfront from 5:30pm – 7:00pm (during Celebrate Audiology) to pick up your conference materials.

Ribbon Bar
Connect with your fellow attendees and add some humor to their day. The "Ribbon Bar" allows you to personalize your badge with fun sayings like "Tired Feet," "Audiology Diva," "I need coffee," and more. They make for a nice conversation ice-breaker!

SAA Central

Are your feet tired yet? This is THE hub for student attendees! Sit back and relax in a comfy chair while you network with fellow students, meet famous audiologists during Office Hours, gather important SAA information, and see what other Student Academy of Audiology (SAA) chapters have been up to in the annual poster competition! This is the new Student Academy Central.

Scooter
The Mobility Shop offers mobility services on site at the Boston Convention and Exposition Center. Make arrangements to rent equipment by calling 857.212.6112 or book online.

Security
Attendees are responsible at all times for the security of personal items such as purses, laptops, electronic equipment, etc.

Session Locator Pamphlet
Helpful on-site tool to get you to the correct session room. With the session planner, you can manage your time more effectively: Create your own schedules, update your session on-site and select exhibitors, download session handouts (as available) to visit and sessions you wish to attend.

Sessions
Sessions are held at the Boston Convention and Exposition Center (BCEC), unless otherwise noted. All sessions will be presented in English.

Session Cancellations & Changes
Sessions printed in the ProgramNOW may change or cancel after going to print. For current changes see the online session planner, addendum sheet located in the ProgramNOW and the Daily News handed out on site.

Shuttle Information
Complimentary shuttle service will operate in a continuous loop between official hotels (those not within walking distance) and the Boston Convention and Exposition Center. Check the shuttle information in the Locator Guide or signs in your hotel for schedules. Shuttle Service will operate during the following hours:

Shuttle Schedule as of March 1 (subject to change)

Wednesday, March 28	6:30am-8:30pm
Thursday, March 29	6:30am-6:30pm
Friday, March 30	7:00am-7:30pm
Saturday, March 31	7:00am-6:00pm

Saturday Airport Shuttle – complimentary shuttle to Logan International Airport on Saturday. Buses depart on the hour from
10am – 6pm from the Shuttle Drop-off area. Check shuttle signs on site for the most up to date information.

New for 2012, those attendees not staying at an official AudiologyNOW! hotel will not be able to access the complimentary shuttle buses. If you are staying at a hotel not within the official hotel block, shuttle buses will not pick-up or drop-off at your hotel and you will not be allowed to board the shuttles at a nearby official hotel. Shuttle icons will be displayed on badges of those authorized to ride the shuttle buses. You must show your badge to the shuttle bus personnel prior to boarding. If you are not in the official block and would like to purchase a pass for $75.00, please call Customer Service at 301-694-5243. If you purchase a pass you must still walk to the nearest official hotel to pick-up the shuttle bus.

Shuttle service is provided for special events on Wednesday and Thursday evenings for official hotels not within walking distance of the events. See shuttle information posted in your hotel for special event shuttle schedules.

Smoking
Smoking is not permitted at any AudiologyNOW! events or sessions. Smoking is only allowed in designated smoking areas.

Special Olympics Healthy Hearing Corner

Don’t miss the Special Olympics Healthy Hearing (SOHH) Corner booth this year! After leaving the SOHH Corner, you will know about the nature of the SAA’s relationship with the SOHH Program and how to get involved as a student or professional. We have made a lot of progress over the past two years, so come see how the Academy and the SAA are advancing the quality of life for Special Olympics athletes around the globe!

Sponsor Raffle Cards
Visit each of the AudiologyNOW! Sponsor’s booths, get your card stamped and enter in the raffle to win free registration and hotel for AudiologyNOW! 2013.

Student Volunteer Sign-in
Student Volunteers sign in/out; pick up a button and instructions. Return your button when signing out. Room Monitors will also need to drop off session attendee counts after their assignment is complete. Located in the North Lobby in SAA Central.

Trivia Bowl
This favorite Academy tradition pits students, researchers and practitioners against each other in an exciting battle of wits and memory. Gus Mueller and Jerry Northern will once again host this fun event. Sign-up as an individual or as a team on the sign-up board that will be located in Academy Central.

Twitter
The Academy will be tweeting at AudioloyNOW! 2012 live from Boston. Follow us now and on-site and
meet up with friends, discuss educational sessions, and share information. Log on to Twitter and search
for AcademyofAuD, or click here to be redirected to the Academy’s Twitter page.

U.S. Mailbox and Postage
U.S. Mailboxes are located in the Westin Hotel. More details to come.

W-9

Downlaod a copy of our W-9 form (PDF).

Wayfinding
There will be several ways to find your way around the convention center and the city of Boston. Large "You Are Here” maps, signage, information in the Program NOW! and the Boston CVB will have an information booth to assist with local attractions and restaurants.

WiFi Service
The Boston Convention and Exposition Center (BCEC) offers FREE high-speed wireless network or wireless fidelity (WiFi). Whiffy users have the ability to move throughout the convention center You may also use our computers in Internet Access Central area for no charge though you will be time limited if there is a line.